Anything Worth Having
by sugarmonkey778
Summary: Sasuke and Ino are small time swindlers who find themselves in way over their heads. With cops and criminals always on their heels can they find a real life together? "Anything worth having is worth fighting for" Will you fight for it?
1. Chapter 1

_And we find ourselves at the beginning of yet another story. Some of you are thinking "Monkey sama are you sure you can handle TWO stories at once?" others are thinking "Monkey sama is the greatest!" and some are thinking "Where am I? How did I get here? I just clicked the damn pop up!" For those in that last category I suggest you click away before you see something you just might like. _

A woman walked down the semi crowded street on her way home from a hard day of work. She was lost in thought not paying any particular attention to her surroundings. That is until a man in a dark hoodie that concealed his face crashed into her and grabbed her purse. The man jumped up nimbly and sprinted away. The people standing near crowded around the woman asking if she was all right.

"Help! Stop! That man has my purse!" she screeched. A nearby police officer leapt into action and began to chase the hooded man.

The thief speed through the crowd, skillfully avoiding all the gawking people on the sidewalks. He glanced back over his shoulder at the cop shouting for him to stop, when he turned back he just barely avoided crashing into a young blonde haired woman walking in his direction. He managed to turn enough that he barely brushed her shoulder, but she stumbled back when he did. The dark hooded man proceeded to turn sharply down a side street squeezed between two buildings.

The cop made it to the alleyway moments after the thief and pulled out his gun as he faced the opening. But there was no one there. He saw the people walking calmly on the other side of the buildings, but no hooded thief. He walked cautiously down the road a bit and checked the side doors of the two buildings that stood on each side of the street. They were locked tight with no signs of tampering so he moved on to the other side of the street. By now a small group had gathered to try and figure out what the cop was doing.

"Did you see a man in a dark hoodie run this way?" He asked the people.

"No, no one's come out of there but you." Answered a raven haired man. The group around said pretty much the same thing.

"Dammit, I lost him." The officer cursed then he grabbed the radio off his shoulder. "This is Officer Iruka Umino, calling in a purse snatching on Eighteenth Street. Suspect is wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. Last seen running down the alley just off Eighteenth towards Seventeenth." He turned back to the people. "You certain you didn't see anything?" He asked, hoping that maybe they knew something that would give him a lead. But they still shook their heads. "Ok, if you see anyone call the police. Do not go after him by yourselves." Then the officer ran back down the alley to talk to the owner of the purse.

Once he was gone the crowd dispersed, but the black haired man remained. On the other side of the alley a blonde haired woman appeared. The two met each other in the middle.

"You got it?" He asked. She smirked and held up the purse.

"Of course I do." She replied which brought a smile to his lips. She slid the strap over her shoulder and they walked out of the alley on his side, holding hands. "You know, you nearly knocked me down this time." She complained rubbing her shoulder with back of the hand she was holding.

"I'll make it up to you." He said with a smile. Her eyes lit up.

"Does that mean I get to pick the next adventure?" She asked enthusiastically. "Because I'm totally sick of these snatch and dashes." He chuckled.

"I was thinking a nice dinner, maybe a movie." He explained.

"Can we go to a night club?" She suggested.

"Whatever you want, baby." He replied. She snuggled closer to him and they walked away. In the distance the sound of a police siren could be heard. The couple paid no attention to it as they strolled on.

At the station a large group of officers had gathered for a briefing on the increasing crime. The man who was leading it had silver hair.

"Five robberies in as many days all in the same 4 block radius. We either got several low level criminals, or a couple of smart thieves." The tall silver haired man started. "I'm more inclined to believe the latter." The group gathered in front of him nodded and wrote down what he was saying.

"Sir, what makes you think that?" Asked a young pink haired detective standing closest to the front.

"We would have caught at least one of these guys if there were numerous perps." The girl nodded and wrote something down. "Alright, so we are gonna cover this area with officers."

"Won't that just force them to move on to the next area?" Chimed in a bright eyed blonde man.

"Only if this isn't their comfort zone. They may be good but it is possible that they are only able to pull off these thefts because they know the area. So even if they move on it will only make them that much easier to catch." Explained a man who was leaning against the wall with his eyes half closed.

"Exactly." The silver haired man said.

"What about the problems we've been having in the Northfield area?" Asked a heavyset man with a bag of chips in his hand.

"We have been asked to politely butt out of that." Said the police chief, who was an older blonde woman.

"Yeah, because those damn rich snobs have some pretty big skeletons in their closet they don't want us finding." Said the purple haired woman standing on the other side of the briefing board.

"That doesn't matter. This is our case now so let's focus." The first man spoke again. "Now I want everyone in street clothes to fan out in the designated area and keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious." He finished.

"Alright! Let's get out there and catch these scumbags!" The blonde man shouted enthusiastically.

"Ino. Are you ready to go yet?"

"Almost!"

"Can you hurry up a bit?"

"Do _I _rush you, Sasuke?"

"No."

"Exactly.

"But that's because _I _don't take four hours to do my hair." She poked her head into the room, pouting.

"I just wanna be perfect for you." She whined, then she ducked back into the bathroom. He stood up and followed her. Ino stood in front of the mirror curling her hair.

"Babe, you know you always look perfect to me." He said coming to stand right behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, forcing her to shift the hand with the curling iron.

"Sasuke! You're messing up my hair!" She cried. Then she set the iron down and turned herself around in his arms. "Now you know I love you, but you need to get the hell out of here and let me finish getting ready. If you don't I cannot be held accountable for what happens to you." She threatened with an innocent smile. In response he smirked and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Promise?" He asked suggestively then he kissed her again, more passionately this time. She kissed him back then abruptly pushed him away.

"No, bad Sasuke. We're going out tonight!" She said sternly. Now he pouted.

"Why don't we stay in?"

"No. We always stay in! Plus, this is you making up for earlier."

"I can think of a better way to do that." He said leaning down to kiss her again. She put her finger to his lips and shook her head.

"No. Now get out so I can finish my hair." She pointed to the door.

"Alright, your highness." He kissed her one last time then went back to sitting on the bed waiting for her.

"Naruto, you do realize Kakashi meant we should start patrolling in the morning, right?"

"Why wait, Sakura? I'm ready to go now!"

"Well we can't do anything now, because the thefts occur during the day, idiot." Sakura picked up the report she was revising and looked it over for the tenth time.

"Are you still working on the Northfield break in report?" Naruto asked watching his partner carefully. "I handed mine in three days ago."

"That's because _you_ are ok with mediocre work, and _I_ am not." She replied.

"Hey, I am and amazing detective!" He whined. She set the paper down and looked up at the blonde man.

"You're good at the field work, not so much the paperwork." She corrected.

"At least _I_ do my own paperwork. Unlike Shikamaru." He said gesturing to his sleeping coworker.

"I heard that." Came Shikamaru's sleepy response.

"I wasn't hiding it!" Naruto shouted back.

"Not like you could hide anything from him anyhow. He's solved more cases in the three years he's been here than most of these guys have in their entire careers."

"Are you bragging about me, Chief?" He said sitting up to glance over at Tsunade.

"Of course she is. You're the best she's got."

"Of course you'd say that, Choji. You're my partner." Shikamaru said.

"What's everyone doing here? It's almost midnight!"

"Anko calm down. If they want to spend their free time working longer let them." Kakashi said to his partner.

"I'm not paying any of you overtime. So deal with that or leave!" Tsunade shouted then retreated to her office.

"I'm outta here. Choji, you coming with?" Shikamaru asked as he stood up and stretched. His partner nodded and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair.

"I'm gonna cut out too. See you tomorrow Sakura." Naruto said after an obnoxiously loud yawn.

"Yeah, goodnight." She replied. After another hour of fixing her report she finally gave up and left. "I have to get some sleep if I'm gonna catch a criminal tomorrow." She thought groggily.

Sasuke was lying on the bed when Ino finally emerged from the bathroom. He sat up and stared at his girlfriend. She was wearing what she affectionately called her 'clubbing clothes' which consisted of a short purple dress and matching high heels. Her long platinum hair was pulled up into a ponytail filled with perfect ringlets.

"You look stunning. The only bright spot in this hell hole." He said gesturing to the crappy little motel room they were staying in. She walked up to him and smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Someday this will all be a fond memory and we'll be living the life we were always meant to live." She said confidently. He pulled her closer and gently touched her cheek. She rested her head on his hand and smiled again.

"You are so amazing." He said amorously. She kissed him tenderly then tried to pull away, but he dragged her back playfully and kissed her more passionately. After a minute she broke away with an annoyed look on her face.

"Come on Sasuke. We should go before the place gets too crowded." She walked to the door and opened it. He sighed and followed her out into the cool city night.

_So here is my introductory chapter. Please tell me what you think. Even if you never review again I am begging for some feedback on this chapter so I can decide if it is worth it to continue. Thank you and goodnight, or morning, afternoon maybe, possibly evening, hell it could even be noon!_


	2. Chapter 2

_It is 3 in the morning and I am writing this chapter. I am exhausted and a little disappointed. 2 reviews? Really? I thank those two who reviewed but ask politely for more. I am guessing that most of you just need more before you can form an opinion. So I hope this nearly 3,000 word chapter helps. I would love you forever if you told me what you thought. Please, thank you, and goodnight!_

The music pounded heavily from the large brick building on the corner. The up tempo song would occasionally drift out into the street as the door opened and closed. Outside there was a line around the block filled with people waiting for their chance to get into the hottest nightclub in the city. They all stood behind a large and menacing bouncer who guarded the door like Cerberus.

The young couple strolled casually around the corner right past the impatient crowd and up to the scary man at the door. Ino let go of Sasuke's hand and approached the man. She whispered something in his ear and subtly slipped a folded up bill into his hand. The man smiled and opened the door for her. She grinned triumphantly and walked into the club with Sasuke following closely.

Inside the music was ear splittingly loud and the lights were blindingly bright. The dance floor was packed with people dancing closely, moving and shaking to the pounding beat. Around the edges just out of reach of the spotlights small intimate groups of patrons sat on long plush couches with exotic beverages in their hands. There was a thick haze in the place coming from the fog machines located in two of the corners on the dance floor.

Sasuke sat down at the bar and ordered himself a drink while Ino found an empty space out on the floor. He watched her from across the room as she moved in sync with the music. He regarded her in wonder as she mesmerized those around her. The way she mesmerized him from the day they met.

Nearby was a man, in expensive designer clothing, who was eyeing her intensely. When he approached her and asked her to dance she accepted and flashed him a dazzling smile. As they were dancing she glanced back at the bar and winked at Sasuke. He grinned, took one last sip of his drink and stood up. While the man was lost in Ino's eyes she managed to lift his wallet from his back pocket and held it out behind her back. Sasuke slid by the pair taking the wallet as he passed.

Once he was a good distance away he opened it and took the cash out, counted it and put it in his pocket. Then he walked back out and through the crowd to slip the wallet back into Ino's hand. She kept the man enchanted with her smile while she put it back in his pocket. After the song ended she excused herself and met up with Sasuke.

Far in the corner a small group of people sat talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Did you see that?" A brown haired man with odd tattoos on his cheeks asked. The others glanced up. The group watched as Ino and Sasuke continued their routine on the dance floor.

"Yeah, they're pretty good." Said the blonde woman, whose hair was tied into four ponytails.

"Who are they?" Asked the black haired, bug eyed man.

"Yeah, never seen them around." Added a second brown haired man who sat beside the woman.

"We should keep an eye on them. Just in case they cause trouble for us." Explained the creepy dark haired man with dark glasses on, despite the low lighting, and the fact that it was the middle of the night. Over at the bar the young couple was talking softly to each other. She laced her fingers with his and they headed towards the door.

"Tail them." The sixth member of the group, a red haired man with dark circles surrounding his eyes, said. The first man who spoke and the creepy man stood up to follow Ino and Sasuke at a safe distance.

Once they got back to the motel Sasuke sat down to count out the money while Ino changed in the bathroom. She emerged about ten minutes later wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts.

"So how much did we get tonight?" She asked, plopping down behind him on the bed.

"About four hundred and fifty dollars." He replied.

"I was expecting more from the most exclusive club in the city. Especially since some of those pompous assholes tried to grab me." She said, angrily, then smiled merrily. He was silent for a moment. Then abruptly he stuffed the money into a large envelope and shoved it under the mattress. He walked over to the window and pushed aside the curtain, allowing the unnatural yellow glow of the streetlamps outside to illuminate part of the room. Ino watched him quietly from the bed. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I hate this." He said angrily.

"Sasuke, I was joking. You know me, I have a strict policy when it comes to-"

"It's not just that. It's all of this." He said then he let the curtain drop, once again leaving the single lamp that stood in the corner as the only light source. She got up and walked over to him.

"Baby." She started, reaching out to him. He pulled away from her. "Sasuke, we're going to be ok. How much are we up to now? Like four thousand? We're nearly half way there." She reached out to him again and held his hand. "What did I say earlier?" He was staring at the floor miserably, so she reached out and lifted his face. "Look at me. What did I say?"

"What did I do to deserve someone like you?" He asked.

"I don't know, you must have pissed someone off." She said seriously. He smiled then shook her hand off his face.

"Ok, gooey moment over. Let's get some sleep." She stepped back and stared at him incredulously.

"You just wanna go to sleep now?"

"Yeah, it was a long day." He replied walking around her into the bathroom. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him.

"Seriously?" She demanded. When he didn't respond she shrugged. "Well alright then, goodnight, sweetie." She called, then she curled up under the blanket and closed her eyes. Sasuke came flying out of the bathroom and scooped her up off the bed. She laughed loudly and wrapped her arms around him. "You almost had me for a minute there!"

"You know me." He replied kissing her neck gently. He sat down on the bed with Ino in his lap. She pushed away from him after a minute and glared at the lone lamp in the corner.

"You forgot to shut off the damn light." She said peevishly. He joined her in glaring at the light. "I got it." She went to get up but he pulled her back down and kissed her until she slipped out of his arms. She walked over to the lamp and clicked it off.

From where she was standing she could see through the little crack in the curtains. Outside she noticed a car parked on the far side of the parking lot. As she was studying it the headlights turned on and it drove away. She stared suspiciously out the window for a moment longer then pulled the curtain closed all the way and returned to Sasuke's waiting arms.

The following day the six undercover detectives stood outside preparing for the task at hand. Once again they were being led by Kakashi and his partner Anko.

"Ok, so we've covered this area with both uniformed officers as well as the four of you in street clothes. Sakura, Naruto you two take the south end of the street. Shikamaru, Choji, you guys are over on Eighteenth street. Anko and I will be at the north end of the street. Keep on the lookout for suspicious activities, and be careful. Good luck."

With that said they split up, each going to their assigned location and blending in with the crowd. Kakashi found an empty bench and sat down with his favorite book. His partner stood little ways off pretending to window shop. Sakura and Naruto were down on the other end of the street walking with a small crowd.

"What do you see?" Sasuke asked as Ino surveyed the scene. She took a moment to finish looking around then turned back to him.

"There are nine cops. At least five in uniform and four more in streets." She discreetly directed his attention to the right. "Blondie in the orange sweater and the pink haired chick in red down there." Next she glanced over his shoulder. "Window shopper at my 11 and the old guy on the bench across the street." He furtively checked it out and smiled.

"How did you get so god at spotting cops?" He asked quietly. She grinned impishly at him.

"That is for me to know and you to find out. Now I suggest we go somewhere else for today's adventure." She said.

"No, I can handle it." He replied confidently. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"It's not safe. Sasuke we can do it somewhere else." He shook his head.

"We will not be scared off. We're gonna show these guys that we are untouchable." He looked around again then smiled at her. "I have an idea. Same target, plan B." She took a breath and nodded.

"Let's do this." She said. "Be careful."

"You too." He leaned down and kissed her, then walked off.

"Do you see anything?" Sakura asked. Naruto, who was scrutinizing a street vendor, looked up at his partner.

"No. Everything seems quiet. I bet nothing is even gonna happen." He said with a yawn. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the two detectives jumped into action. They, along with Anko and Kakashi rushed to the scene.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" Kakashi asked. Anko was already on the move searching the area.

"I'm fine. The wretched man knocked me down and ran off. But he didn't get my purse." The woman explained as the people around helped her up

"Which way did he go?" Naruto asked. The woman waved in the general direction the thief had run off. Sakura stayed behind to talk to her while Naruto and Kakashi, who were joined by a couple of the uniformed officers, took off after the thief.

Moments later they spotted the same hooded man from the day before and the chase began.

Sasuke stood a few feet away from his target. It was a large woman with a large purse. He took one last glance around the area to see where the cops were then threw his hood up. He began running towards the woman and crashed into her. They both fell to the ground and he grabbed at her bag. She shouted some very unkind words and yanked her purse back. When he looked up the police were closing in, so he jumped to his feet and sprinted off.

He was running down the crowded sidewalk, pushing people out of his way. Every time he glanced behind him the cops were always just a few steps back. He put more energy into his legs and sped up, he could see his turn coming up and unzipped his hoodie.

Once he turned the corner he pulled the sweater shirt off and flipped it around. He was moving swiftly down the road when he heard a voice.

"Psst, come here." He looked around until he spotted the source of the voice standing on the stoop of one of the buildings on the side. Sasuke stood still for a moment staring at the man in the doorway. Behind him he could hear shouting and running footsteps. "Dude, get in here now. They're coming!" The man at the door shouted. Then he turned around and rushed back into the building. Sasuke could see the shadows of his pursuers rounding the corner so he followed the man.

Ino watched as her boyfriend jumped up off the ground and ran. She was worried about him, but she knew what had to be done. She rushed over to the front of the crowd that had gathered

"Ma'am, are you all right?" The silver haired officer asked. Once they rushed off after Sasuke Ino approached the woman, who was now speaking with the pink haired detective.

"Did you get a good look at the guy?" She was asking. The woman shook her head. "And he didn't take anything from you, correct?"

"I've double checked my bag, everything is there."

"All right. I'm going to check in with my partner. Can you come down to the station later to give your statement?"

"Yes, I'll do that tonight." The crowd did not immediately disperse, despite the efforts of the uniformed officers. Ino walked up to the woman.

"Oh my god! That was so scary!" She said in her best terrified voice. "I don't know what I would have done if it had happened to me. You are amazing!" She touched the woman's shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, well thank you dear. It'll take more than one little boy to pull one over on me!" Ino continued smiling brightly.

"Well I have to go, I'm meeting my boyfriend soon." She walked by, lightly brushing the woman's shoulder. The woman smiled for a moment then began walking away.

Ino walked down the street a bit then turned a corner and stopped. She smiled wickedly and took out the woman's wallet.

"She was right. It did take more than one little boy to trick her." She laughed. She took all of the money out and tossed it in a garbage can as she continued down the street.

"Not bad." She froze when two men appeared in front of her, blocking the path.

Sasuke found himself in a relatively large kitchen. Everything in the room looked old fashioned, except the refrigerator and oven. By the wall to his right there was an antique table with six matching chairs. Seated in one of those chairs was a blonde woman. The man who led him there was leaning against the door frame.

"What is going on here?" He asked, after a moment.

"You mean other than us saving your ass?"

"Kankuro! Shut up."

"Aw, c'mon Temari. I'm just having fun." Meanwhile Sasuke was watching with mild curiosity and annoyance. The two went on arguing for a few minutes.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" He shouted. The siblings looked over at him.

"Ok, sorry about that. We're being rude. I'm Temari, and this is my idiot brother Kankuro." She said.

"Hey." Kankuro said smoothly. Sasuke remained confused.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but why did you help me?" He asked. The siblings exchanged a smile then looked back at the raven haired man.

"We want you to join our gang." Kankuro explained, receiving a frown from Sasuke.

"Well it isn't exactly a 'gang'." His sister corrected. "We're more of a group of skilled individuals with similar goals and interests."

"Thank you, but no thank you." Sasuke replied. "I have to go now, I'm meeting someone."

"The blonde? She's a hottie." Kankuro said, earning him a glare from the other man.

"Where is Ino?" He demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ino said dismissively.

"So you didn't just steal that poor woman's money?" The brunette man asked. The other man was silent, his eyes hidden by dark glasses. "What do you think, Shino? Is she as innocent as she pretends to be?"

"She is a skilled thief." Shino said in his deep and creepy voice.

"I'm leaving now." She said taking a few small steps back.

"Don't you wanna know where your partner is?" She froze again and glared at the man.

"What did you do?" She demanded.

"Maybe something. Maybe nothing. The only way you'll find out is by coming with us."He said vaguely. "Or we could have a nice talk with those fine officers out there. I'm sure they'd be-"

"Kiba, enough." Shino interrupted. "Your partner is fine, we will bring you to him." She glanced at each of them warily then, sensing not deceit, nodded. The three of them walked down the alley and around the corner.

_So please please please please etc. review. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey buddies! Been some time hasn't it? So here is the next chapter for this amazing story, something I'm sure you have all been dying for. Weird, I'm not feeling snarky at the moment. So please enjoy._

"Where the hell is my girlfriend?" Sasuke demanded again. Kankuro just laughed lightly.

"She'll be with us soon I imagine." He replied with a smile. Sasuke glared at the brunette man and glanced over at Temari.

"Please ignore my brother. Like I said he's an idiot." She said dismissively. They were all quiet when the sound of the front door opening was heard. Sasuke looked up at the doorway that seemed to lead out into the rest of the house. A moment later Kiba appeared there followed by Ino. The second she saw him the blonde woman rushed over to her boyfriend.

"Sasuke! Are you all right?" She asked anxiously as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and relaxed a little.

"Yes, I'm fine." She let him go and leaned back to get a better look at him. "Are you ok?" He asked. She nodded in response and hugged him again. After a moment Kankuro cleared his throat which caused the couple to glare up at him.

"Sorry to interrupt your little reunion, but now that we're all together we have some business to discuss." Ino looked at him quizzically then glanced back up at Sasuke.

"What did I miss?" She asked holding his hand and moving so she stood next to him.

"Not much. These people wants us to join their, what did you call it?" He asked Temari. "Their group." Ino remained confused and glanced from Sasuke to the others in the room. "You know, help them with our special skills." He explained.

"So you guys are a gang?" She asked bluntly. Temari flushed angrily.

"No, not a 'gang'. Like I told him," She said gesturing to the raven haired man, "We are a group of-"

"Sorry, we're not interested." Ino said cutting her off.

"Won't you just hear her out?" Kiba asked in an oddly whiney voice. Shino, who stood beside him, remained silent and aloof.

"It's not you, we just prefer to work on our own." She replied.

"But I guarantee that if you work with us you'll get at least twice what you've been getting. Since there are more of us we can pull better scores with higher rewards." Temari explained

"And higher risks. Risks that really require you to trust the people you're working with. We just don't know you, at all." Ino said. She was a lot calmer than Sasuke, which is why she was the one speaking. Temari conceded that she was right. She stood up and walked over to the couple.

"Here's my card. If you change your mind, or if you need any help please feel free to call anytime." She said handing Ino the little piece of paper. Sasuke began pulling her towards the door anxious to get out. "You should use the front door. It looks less suspicious. I'm sure that alley is crawling with cops."

"Thank you." Ino said as she pulled Sasuke back to the doorway she had walked through before. As they were walking down the hall to the door she noticed a man watching them from the top of the staircase. His light green eyes seemed to be studying the two of them with mild curiosity.

"Gaara?" Temari called out from the doorway to the kitchen. The red haired man blinked, then walked down the stairs. By the time he got to the bottom step the young couple had already opened the door.

"Hey." The sound of the red head's voice caused them to stop. Sasuke wanted to keep walking but Ino, not wanting to be rude, turned around.

"Hello." She said kindly. Gaara stared at them emotionlessly. Sasuke was getting nervous and unconsciously he stood in front of Ino, shielding her from the strange man.

"Be careful. He's looking for you" He said blankly, and then he turned and walked off towards the kitchen. They stared after him feeling deeply confused.

"Let's go." Sasuke said gently leading her out the front door. Outside they began walking down the street, blending in with the crowds. Ino stopped walking suddenly causing Sasuke to bump into her.

"What do you think he meant?" She asked worriedly. "Could he know about-"

"No. It's impossible. Now come on. We can talk about it back at the motel while we're packing." She looked up at him questioningly.

"Packing? Why are we packing?" She asked.

"We've been discovered, it's time to move on." He took her hand and started walking again. They had only gone a few steps when she froze and gasped. He stopped and turned to face her noticing the look on her face. "What's wrong?" He asked full of concern. She didn't respond for a moment and just continued staring, open mouthed, across the street. He cupped her face in his hands gently and looked her in the eye. "What is it?"

"Th-that man over there. I-I know him." She said shakily. He glanced over to where she was looking and saw the man she was talking about. He had spiky brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail that resembled a pineapple. Since he was talking on his cell phone, looking quite perturbed, he didn't notice the couple staring at him.

"Who is he?" Sasuke asked looking back at his still stunned girlfriend. From her reaction he was preparing to go beat the hell out this guy.

"He was my best friend when I was young. His dad knew my dad so we were forced to hang out all the time." She explained with a small smile. "But that was a long time ago. He's a cop now." She said, the small disappearing.

"He's a cop? And he's from your past? Ok, now we really need to get out of here." He said feeling more urgent than ever. He gently shook her shoulders to get her attention. "Let's go, before he notices us." She shook off the haze of memories and they hurried off.

Across the street Shikamaru was talking to Kakashi on his phone. It wasn't good news he was receiving.

"They got away again?" He said disbelievingly. "How did they manage to get past all our officers?" He paused as Kakashi spoke on the other end of the line. "That is incredible. These must be extremely clever thieves…. No sir, I'm not complementing them…. No it's just…. All right. We'll meet you back at the station." He closed the cell phone and sighed loudly. "Man this is all so troublesome."

He was about to turn around and find his partner when something across the street caught his attention. It was a young woman with long platinum blonde hair. He couldn't see her face since she was walking away but he felt certain that he knew who it was.

"Ino?" He whispered in astonishment. He rubbed his eyes and looked back at the spot where he saw the woman, but she was gone. "No, nope, nope. I'm seeing things again." He said grimly shaking his head. With one last glance across the street he turned around and walked down the street to where Choji was standing by a hot dog cart ordering lunch.

In a town not too far away, in a building that exuded power and wealth, a man with long black hair sat behind a large mahogany desk in a large octagonal room. The walls were covered in dark striped wallpaper and expensive paintings. The other person in the room was a young gray haired man with sharp gold framed glasses. The younger man paced impatiently, his shoes clicking loudly on the hardwood floor. The black haired man sat silently watching his companion with his strange yellow-green eyes.

"Please sit down. You're wearing a hole in the floor." The older man said in a tone that suggested he was half amused and half annoyed.

"Do you think they found him?" The grey haired man asked pushing his glasses back up his nose. The other man was silent, thoughtful. A moment later there was a knock and the younger man crossed room to the massive, solid oak door and pulled it open. In the hall stood a man with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was flanked by another man with lighter short brown hair and a woman with extremely long dark hair.

"Ah, Dosu, Kin, Zaku, you've returned. With good news I hope." The man behind the desk stood and motioned for his guests to enter. They walked into the room and approached the desk as the other man shut the door and followed behind them.

"Yes sir." Dosu said stepping forward so that he stood directly in front of the desk. The black haired man smiled then sat back down in his chair.

"Go on then." He said folding his hands delicately and setting them down on the desk.

"We found them."

Sasuke was moving hastily around the small room throwing things haphazardly into the open suitcase on the bed. Ino was moving in and out of the small bathroom gathering all of her things.

"I still don't see why we have to leave right this minute." She complained dropping a dollar store hair drying into the pile of clothes on the bed. Sasuke turned around and removed the item from the bag.

"I told you, only the things we need. We have to pack light." He said tossing the dryer into the garbage can.

"But that's my hair dryer!" She cried.

"We'll get you a new one. Once we're out of this city." He replied without even looking up at her.

"Why do we have to leave? No one knows us yet."

"I told you. That group we met today, they know too much. Then there was that red haired guy, he just gives me a bad feeling. And then we have your best friend the cop. If he sees you no doubt he'll tell someone." As he went on he started moving faster and he began going through the pile on the bed to get rid of things they didn't need. She sat down on the bed beside the suitcase. "And once one person knows then a hundred people know and it's only a matter of time before _he_ knows. Because _he_ always knows." She reached out and touched his arm gently. He stopped for a moment and glanced up at her.

"Calm down. Everything is going to be all right." She said soothingly. Then she took his hand and dragged him around the bed to stand in front of her. "We are going to be ok, he won't find us because he doesn't know where we are." He looked into her innocent blue eyes and felt comforted. "And do you know why he can never find us?" She asked with a smile. Sasuke could only shake his head because he was still mesmerized by her eyes. "Because you are smarter than him and better than him. In every way." She said.

It took him a few moments of smiling like an idiot to finally get his brain working again.

"That may be true, but we're still leaving, just to be safe." He said then pulled away from her and went back to fussing over the clothes. She watched him sadly wishing there was something she could do to help him, but when he got like this nothing worked. It happened every time they settled down somewhere for more than a few days.

"I'm going for a walk." She announced getting up off the bed and walking to the door. She glanced back at him for a moment and sighed. "Please try and relax a little."

"Be careful, watch your back and stay away from crowds." He told her seriously. She rolled her eyes dramatically and walked out the door.

At his desk Shikamaru was typing his report for the day. It was such a boring and routine task that he kind of spaced out as he worked. This was when Ino popped into his head. He was so certain that it was her on the street today, but it had been a while since he'd last seen her. He looked up from his glowing computer screen and glanced around the room.

He pulled up the police database and typed in a name. The file appeared in front of him and he clicked it open.

**Yamanaka, Ino: Age-17 Gender-Female DoB-9/21/90 Hair-Blonde Eyes-Blue DoR-9/10/07 Last Seen-9/10/07 Status-Missing**

Below that there was a picture of her. She was smiling happily, her blue eyes sparkling and her long hair tied up into a ponytail. He read through the report for the thousandth time hoping he would see something he'd missed.

**Reported missing by her father Yamanaka, Inoichi. Was last seen by her friend Nara, Shikamaru at 11:37 pm at the Nara residence. **

He remembered that day. At the time he hadn't seen anything wrong with her actions. She seemed happy. Now he realized why she was so happy. He could still see the sad smile she'd given him just before she hugged him goodbye and walked out of their lives.

"Shikamaru?" He jumped at the sound of Sakura's voice. She was staring at him with a concerned look on her face. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah I'm fine. Just lost in thought." He replied. She looked down at his monitor and saw the old missing person report.

"Who's that?" She asked pointing to the blonde girl in the picture. He looked back at the screen, suddenly remembering what he was doing.

"She's an old friend." He said sadly.

"What happened to her?" She asked gently. He closed out the window and shut the computer off.

"She ran away." He said. "Lunch?" He asked, changing the subject as he walked past her. She glanced back at the dark computer screen one last time before following him out of the station.

_So yeah, that is the end of this chapter. Hope to see… well not see, you all next time. WOOT! And I was reading through my old stories, specifically _The Breaking Point _and _The Point of No Return_, and was thinking of making a third story in the series. If you have read them tell me if you'd like that. If you haven't then I recommend them. Just know that I wrote them a looooooong time ago and they are not particularly well written grammatically, but they are good stories. So that's all for now. _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Muwahahahahaha… not sure why I did that but it felt right. Here is another chapter. Hope you all like it. ^_^**_

With her feet dragging slightly in her knock-off designer boots Ino walked down the nearly empty sidewalk. She had been out for almost an hour and in that time the sun had slipped behind a wall of large dark storm clouds. So far the rain had held off and she was weighing the options in her head. She really didn't want to get rained on. Then again she didn't particularly want to go back just yet. Knowing Sasuke he was most likely still worked up and he was no fun to be around when he got like this. She paused outside of a small pub, the scent wafting out made her empty stomach growl. She stood by the door for a minute, still trying to decide what to do as the first rain drops hit the sidewalk. It took one person opening the door and allowing the full aroma of food out to make up her mind. She pushed the door open and walked in.

For such a small place it was pretty packed. She slipped by a group of rowdy college students and found an open seat at the bar beside a man with dark hair that was almost as long as her own and a woman whose brown hair was tied into two tight buns. It was a few minutes before a waiter dropped off a menu and a glass of water and in that time she began scoping the room. "Hmmm. Who will be treating me to lunch today?" She thought happily as she scanned the room. As she turned to the right she overheard the long haired man talking to the woman beside him.

"Tell me again why we had to come _here_?" The man said irritably nearly spitting the last word.

"Because it's my favorite place. And there is no way anyone from the company would be here." The woman replied.

"There are many reasons why they wouldn't come here. Hygiene is the main one though." He wiped his hand off on a napkin and looked around the room. Ino glanced over at him for a moment. It was long enough to notice his rather remarkable eyes. Eyes that she recognized immediately.

"What are you doing?" She jumped when someone spoke from behind her. She turned around quickly to find Gaara standing behind her with his usual blank look.

"Having the crap scared outta me. What are _you_ doing?" She asked.

"I'm here to help you." He replied. He was so quiet she had to strain to hear him over the music and ruckus.

"I don't need any help right now." She replied. He looked over at the door and shrugged.

"I figured you wouldn't want them to know you were here." He said pointing to the group that had just walked in.

"Shit!" She cursed while jumping off the stool. Shikamaru and his colleagues were making their way across the room. After a mini internal freak-out she turned back to the red head. "How did you know they'd be here? How did you know _I_ would be here?" She demanded. He just stared at her blankly.

"Do you want to hear my life story or do you want to get out of here?" He asked. She smiled.

"You have a sense of humor? Man this day keeps getting weirder. All right, let's get out of here." He almost smiled then turned away and began leading her to the far corner of the room.

By the time they got to the pub Shikamaru was feeling depressed. As it turns out dredging up the past can do that to you. He just wanted to have a drink and forget whatever it was that he saw today. He was in front of the group and could hear Naruto chattering mindlessly to anyone who would listen. It was amazing how fast that guy bounced back. Five minutes ago he was flipping out over losing the perps today and now he was talking about corn chips.

Shikamaru pushed open the door and was faced with a wall of people.

"Guys it's really crowded. We should just go somewhere else."

"Noooo! I've been waiting all day for this!" Naruto whined. Shikamaru sighed loudly.

"Troublesome. All right." He turned back to the crowd and began pushing through it. They had made decent progress when he saw it again. A flash of blonde hair from across the room. He glanced over to the bar and saw the woman darting between a couple of businessmen. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes but she was still there. She was following a man with bright red hair around the edges of the crowd. Without thinking he began moving in her direction.

"Hey! Shikamaru, where are you going?" Choji asked worriedly. He ignored the question and continued forward.

Sasuke had finished packing nearly half an hour ago and Ino was still not back. He began pacing at the foot of the bed but it did little to calm him down.

"Dammit Ino. Why do you insist on doing this?" He said angrily. He walked over to the door and threw it open. The sky was dark and rain was falling lightly. He stared out into the parking lot as if he would find her just sitting out there. "Where the hell is she?" He asked himself. He was debating going out to find here when he noticed a strange car pulling into the lot.

It was a large dark sedan with tinted windows and plates from a different state.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath. Then he slowly backed into the room and shut the door. He slid the chain lock into place and backed away. "How did he find us?" He thought frantically looking around the little room for something to block the door with. In desperation he shoved the mattress in front of the door and grabbed his backpack off the floor. Without waiting to see what would happen he ran into the bathroom and used his bag to smash the small window. After clearing out the glass he dropped the bag out and climbed after it.

His feet hit the ground softly and he began running towards the nearby road behind the motel. "Ino where the hell are you?" He whispered furiously as he ran.

Kakashi hated having to go to others for help. He especially hated having to go to crooks for help. Unfortunately he had hit a dead end with his current case and was forced to go to the most corrupt corporation in town for help. While everyone knew that the Hyuuga's were corrupt there was absolutely no evidence. So they remained the most credible source of information in the city. Nothing happened around here that they didn't know about. Every so often the police would come to them for help with a case and in return they would have to "look the other way" on some of their less legal activities.

The only problem with this was that the Hyuuga's were not stingy with their information. For the right price anyone could get a hold of it. And it was for this reason Kakashi hated what he had to do.

The silver haired man was following the same path as always that lead to Hiashi Hyuuga's office. He knocked on the large oak door and waited for a response.

"Come in." The other man called. Kakashi opened the door and walked into the room. It was a large room with light colored wood on the floors and white wallpaper. Everything in the room was white or other varying light colors. He had always assumed that was supposed to say something like 'We're good people' but the silver haired detective never bought it. "Ah, Detective Hatake, what brings you to my office today?" Hiashi, an older gentleman with long dark hair tied back into a ponytail, asked. His eyes, like all Hyuuga's, were extremely light and nearly pupil less. That had always creeped the detective out immensely.

"Well I'm sure you've hear about the recent thefts committed in broad daylight." He began.

"Oh yes, I do recall hearing about that." Hiashi replied pleasantly.

"Well we at the department would be ever so grateful if you could help us catch the individuals responsible." Kakashi said just as pleasantly. The older man smiled.

"I would love to help you out, Detective, but I don't have any information on your bandits." The Hyuuga sat down in his chair and leaned back.

"That is impossible. You know everyone in this city. You know all the scumbags and low life criminals as well as the fat cats and big shots. How can _you_ not know who is pulling scams in your own town?" Kakashi asked letting some of his frustration slip out.

"What can I say? I am just as upset as you are to not know what is going on. What I can tell you is that it is not the work of any of the local thugs. Most of them are not smart enough to pull of these thefts." Hiashi explained thoughtfully. "Now from what I can tell they are not very sophisticated plans but they are pulled off with expert precision. That is what makes them so successful. I would start by reviewing any security footage you have of any of the thefts." The older man stopped for a moment then chuckled. "Oh who am I kidding? I had my daughter do that hours ago." He pressed a button on the phone on his desk and it beeped loudly.

A moment later the door opened and a young woman with long pin straight black hair entered. She avoided making eye contact with the detective as she approached the desk.

"Yes father?" She said politely.

"Hinata, you remember Detective Hatake, right?" He asked. She nodded. "Do you have the analysis of that footage for him?" She nodded again and walked to the monitor on the wall. She pressed a few buttons and the footage of the second theft appeared on the screen.

"A-as you can see, the s-suspect is here." She began pointing to the hooded man in the crowd. "H-he grabs the bag and r-runs away. When you catch up t-to him he vanishes." She pressed another button and rewound the video. "I-I noticed something odd. He always bumps into someone as he is running away." She stopped the video as the hooded man brushed past a woman in the crowd. "Th-there were only a couple of videos, b-but I believe it is the same woman e-each time." She finished.

"Well there you go. You have a fresh lead." Hiashi said as he stood up and moved around his desk. "I hope it helps. Now if you'll excuse me I have an important meeting in an hour. Hinata will walk you out."

They began walking through the halls of the office building to the elevator.

"H-how is Naruto?" She asked timidly without looking at Kakashi.

"He's Naruto." He replied with a small smile. "That was good work you did. It always is." He glanced over at her. She was blushing and still avoiding eye contact. "Why are you still here?" He asked. At this she did look at him.

"I-I don't have a choice." She said sadly. "It's my duty to s-stay and work for my father."

"But you know he's just going to pass you over for your sister to succeed him. That and he clearly doesn't appreciate the work you do for him." He explained then he smiled a little. "You would make a great cop. With all of your experience all you'd have to do is pass some field tests and you could be a detective in no time." She blushed again and a small smile appeared on her face.

"I-I couldn't do what you do. Y-you are far too kind to me."

"Someone's gotta be. God knows this family doesn't value common humanity." He said disgustedly. They waited silently for the elevator for a few moments. When the doors opened they walked in and hit the lobby button. Just before the doors closed Kakashi turned to her. "And if you worked with us you'd get to see Naruto a lot more." She made a little squeak and turned a bright shade of red as the doors shut in front of her.

In the pub Ino and Gaara were making decent progress around the edges of the crowd. When they were nearly half way to the door she looked across the room and saw Shikamaru making his way towards her.

"Shit he's coming this way." She said anxiously. Gaara looked over and frowned. He glanced around the room and focused on the group of college students currently in the middle of a drinking game.

"I have an idea." He grabbed her arm and dragged her behind one of the bigger guys in the group. "Hey" He tapped the man on the shoulder.

"What?" The guy asked, slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"We could really use your help. See that guy over there? The one with the pineapple shaped head?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I love pineapples!"

"That's great. See that guy he's been stalking my lovely friend here." He said gesturing to Ino behind him. She gave a little wave. "Do you think you could help us?"

"Man I hate guys like that! I'll take care of him for you." The guy took off through the crowd toward Shikamaru.

"What the hell?" Ino asked once the large man was gone. "I just want to distract him not get him killed!" Gaara shrugged.

"He's a cop. I'm sure he can hold his own. Now let's go." With that they began squeezing through the crowd again.

"Shikamaru, where are you going?" Choji called out again. Shikamaru turned around.

"Just find us a place to sit. I'll be right back." He called to his friend. He turned back around and stared pushing his way through the crowd. He was moving pretty well until he walked into someone. The guy he bumped into was a tall college aged man who was clearly a little less than sober. "Excuse me." He said as politely as he could manage. The guy just glared at him and did not move. "Did you hear me? Can you please get out of my way?"

"I want you to leave that woman alone." The man barked.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, confused. "I think you've had one too many beers." He tried to walk around the man but was stopped by his arm. "You do not want to start this."

"I think I can handle your skinny little ass." He replied threateningly. Shikamaru had had enough of this and pulled out his badge.

"You still think you can "handle" me?" He asked. The man squinted at the badge then backed up.

"Whoa, Sorry officer. I don't want no trouble." He said as he continued to back away.

"That's what I thought." Shikamaru said. After he placed his badge back in his pocket he glanced up. To his dismay the blonde woman was gone. "Damn, I lost her." So he began making his way to the door.

Ino and Gaara made it outside after a little pushing and a lot of "excuse me"s. The rain was coming down pretty hard now and they stood under the awning.

"We can't stay here. It's only a matter of time before he gets out of there too." Gaara said looking up and down the street. He stopped for a moment to check his watch then looked up at her. "Our ride will be here in ten seconds."

"What?" She was becoming more and more confused every minute she was with this strange man. "Look, I don't know how you knew so much, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. But thank you." She said warmly. He stared at her silently with that naturally emotionless look of his.

Then, like he'd predicted, a small blue car came speeding down the road. It went right past them then skidded to a stop and backed up.

"Ino!" Sasuke shouted from the driver's seat. "Get in, we have to leave now." He said urgently. She stared at Gaara in amazement. He just shrugged and walked over to the car.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke demanded as the red haired man climbed into the back seat.

"The fastest way back to the house is to take Chestnut Avenue." Gaara replied calmly. Sasuke was speechless and fumbled with his words.

"Get out! We don't have time for this!"

"You have even less time to argue with me." He said gesturing towards Ino who was still standing on the sidewalk. Behind her the pub door opened and an extremely annoyed Shikamaru walked through it. She turned her head and saw him then rushed out into the street.

"Ino wait!" Shikamaru called. She ran around the front of the car and grabbed the handle.

"Sorry Shika! Gotta go!" She shouted to him using the old nickname that only she called him. Then she ducked into the passenger seat and the car sped away.

_**BAM awesomeness! Tell me what you think. And I would really like to know if the way I'm writing, like jumping all around, is good or confusing. If confusing I can try and idk like split it up so when I go to a different group it is a little more obvious. Tell me what you are thinking! Until next time….**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Gaara where the hell have you been?" Temari demanded when her youngest brother walked through the door. In response he stepped aside to reveal his two guests. Sasuke was a mixture of annoyance and apprehension while Ino was still in shock after the events of earlier. "Oh." She remarked.

"Not that we don't appreciate everything you've done for us, but we really have to get going now." Sasuke said.

"You can't." Gaara replied. He was staring out the window as the rain rolled down in waves. The raven haired man crossed his arms over his chest defensively. He wasn't one to be told what he could and couldn't do.

"And why the hell not?" He demanded. The red head turned his head to stare at the other man.

"You can stay here until it stops raining." Temari said, breaking the silence. Gaara turned and walked up the stairs. "Sorry about him. That's just the way he is. He's gifted." She explained.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked.

"That's the nice way to say that he's a freak." Sasuke thought to himself.

"Well I'm not sure I should tell you this. We don't really know you." Temari said.

"Is he psychic?"

"Sort of. Ever since he was young he's been able to know what was going to happen, before it happened. It was a little spooky." Temari explained. "At first none of us believed him and our father even threatened to have him locked up in an asylum. So Gaara became closed off and distrusting. We're all amazed at what he's done for you. It's not like him to put himself out there for someone other than us."

"Is he gonna be OK?" Ino asked as she glanced up to where the red haired man was last standing.

"I'll go and talk to him." Temari replied and then began moving towards the stairs. Ino reached out and stopped her.

"May I?" She inquired, gesturing to the stairs. Temari was surprised by this but nodded.

"Be my guest. It's the last door on the right." Ino smiled and started up the stairs, leaving Sasuke standing awkwardly beside the other blonde. "Why don't you come into the kitchen and I'll make some coffee." She said as she began leading him back to the kitchen. He took one last glance at his girlfriend as she ascended out of sight to the second floor.

"What do you mean you lost him?"

The gray haired man stood in a grand hallway just outside his employer's office. His voice echoed off the walls of the empty corridor as he shouted angrily into his phone.

"He gave us the slip. Went out a back window and stole a car, sir." Dosu replied on the other end of the line. The gray haired man took a calming breathe and adjusted his glasses.

"I thought I told you not to underestimate him. You were given this job because you're the best agent we have. Now go out there and catch Sasuke Uchiha and bring him back here. _He _is getting impatient and that is not good for anyone." With that he disconnected the call and slipped the phone back onto his belt.

He straightened himself out and walked over to the large door that led to his boss' office. With one last deep breathe he opened the door and walked in.

"Ah, Kabuto, I trust you bring me good tidings."

Kabuto put on a respectful smile and approached the desk.

"Not exactly, Orochimaru sir." He said seriously. The man behind the desk frowned and folded his hands in front of him. "I'm afraid Sasuke has managed to escape… again." The frown deepened. "But I'm sure our agents will be able to take care of him soon."

"They had better succeed, or it will be your head that rolls." Orochimaru stood and walked over to the large window that overlooked a square near the center of the town. "I must have my protégé back; there is so much I wish to teach him."

Shikamaru remained on the sidewalk for nearly an hour after the car had disappeared around the corner. He was having trouble reconciling the fact that not only had he seen his friend for the first time in five years, but he was unable to stop her from leaving yet again. He was so lost in thought that he did not notice when Sakura appeared in the doorway behind him.

"Shikamaru?" She called out. He numbly turned around and stared at her. "Are you all right? You're getting rained on." She reached out and pulled him back under the cover of the awning. "What happened to you? Choji and Naruto already ordered and ate."

He shook his head to clear the cobwebs out and glanced back at the street.

"I saw Ino. Just now, out here. She called me Shika. I haven't heard that name in ages." He said quietly. Sakura stared at him, surprised. "And that wasn't the first time I've seen her today. I thought I was imagining it earlier but now I'm convinced it was actually her."

"Is that why you had her file open today?" She asked, finally understanding the mood he'd been in all day. He nodded in response and finally came to his senses. He pulled out his phone and punched in a number.

"Hey I need you to check out a license plate number for me." He recited the number he had seen on the car and silently thanked the universe for his photographic memory. Sakura wrapped her coat around herself tighter and shoved her hands in her pockets as a cold breeze swept in through the rain. "Mmhmm… I see. I thought so, thank you." He ended the call and looked over at his fellow officer.

"What is it?" She asked.

"The car she took off in was just reported stolen."

Gaara was staring aimlessly out his window when Ino knocked on the door. He glanced over as she peeked in hesitantly.

"May I come in?" She asked. He nodded and she entered. The room was fairly small and painted all red. There was a small twin bed against one wall with a matching nightstand beside it. The window he was standing by overlooked the alley that served as a driveway for the house. She stood a few feet away from him. "I'm sorry about Sasuke. He can be a little harsh sometimes." She started, he did not respond so she continued. "It's just that we've been through a lot in the past few years."

"Will you tell me about it?" Gaara asked quietly. She was a little startled by his request but smiled.

"Sure."

"So how long have you two been together?" Temari asked as she got out two mugs for the coffee and set them on the counter. Sasuke was seated at the kitchen table, waiting patiently.

"Five years." He answered with a wistful smile. "Feels like an eternity though."

"I can understand that. My brothers and I have been together forever but we just recently moved here and met Kiba, Shino and Lee. Oh you haven't met Lee yet, he lives here with us." She explained. "So I take it you two have been through a lot in those five years."

"Yes."

"So what exactly happened to your friend to make her run away?" Sakura inquired. The four of them had returned to the station and she and Shikamaru were sitting in the conference room with the physical copy of Ino's file.

"It's a long story." He said sadly. She glanced out the door at her partner who was napping at his desk then turned back.

"I've got time." She replied. Shikamaru sighed and began.

"Well I guess I'll start from the beginning then. I met Ino when we were seven…"

Fifteen Years Ago…

A young Shikamaru followed his father up the walkway to his partner's house.

"Why do I have to stay here, Dad?" He asked.

"I already told you, son. You are not old enough to stay home alone, and I have to go to work at the police station. So you are going to stay with Mrs. Yamanaka for the day." Shikaku explained for the third time. He reached for the doorbell and pressed it. They waited in silence for a few moments until the door opened. Inoichi smiled and shook his partner's hand.

"Good to see you." He said cordially. "And this must be Shikamaru." He extended his hand to the young boy and shook it. "I'm Inoichi Yamanaka. Welcome to my home." He moved aside to allow his guests in.

Once everyone was inside Inoichi shut the door and called for his wife. Moments later a woman of average height with short sunny blonde hair walked in from the kitchen. She smiled warmly and introduced herself.

"Ino." Inoichi called. There was no response and he glanced at his wife. "Where is she?" He asked. "Ino come greet our guests." When she still failed to make an appearance he began to grow agitated. "Ino do not make me come and get you!" He shouted. Finally the little blonde child emerged from another room with a look of pure angelic innocence on her face. Inoichi smiled at the girl and reached out for her. She ran over and clung to his hand. "This is my daughter Ino. Ino this is my partner Shikaku Nara and his son Shikamaru."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Nara." She said to Shikaku. Inoichi knelt down by his daughter.

"Shikamaru is going to be staying here for the day. So you be nice and play with him." He instructed her. She smiled brightly and grabbed Shikamaru's hand.

"Shika, come see my tree house! Daddy and I built it last year and it is so cool!" She gushed. She began dragging him out to the other room and he glanced at his father for help.

"Dad!" He cried desperately. The adults laughed at the display.

"Have fun son." Shikaku replied before turning and walking out of the house.

"Shika, you and I are going to be best friends forever!" Ino said happily.

"This is so troublesome." He said miserably.

Present Day…

Ino sat on the end of Gaara's bed as she began. "My father was an amazing cop. Unfortunately for me that made him overprotective, overbearing and psychotically controlling. My mother realized this before I did, that's why she took off when I was ten. That really sent him over the edge, something I began to notice when I turned thirteen…"

Nine Years Ago…

Ino waited patiently as Shikamaru put in the combination for his locker. She looked up at the poster on the wall advertizing the "spring fling dance" that Friday night.

"Are you going to the dance, Shika?" She asked. He frowned and shook his head. "Why not? Is it because you don't have a date?"

"No. It's because dances are stupid." He replied as he shoved a math text book into his locker.

"I wish Masato would ask me to the dance." She said staring dreamily off into the distance.

"Maybe he will." Shikamaru said pointing down the hall where said boy was walking towards them. Ino blushed madly and tried to act natural. Masato stopped in front of the two friends and smiled at Ino.

"Hey Ino. Are you going to the dance?" He asked. She smiled back at him and opened her mouth to reply.

"Ino!" She looked up and saw her father approaching with a sour look on his face.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" She demanded, feeling mortified. He marched up to her and glared at the young boy standing near her.

"I came to pick you up. Like I always do." He replied.

"I know that, I meant what are you doing _inside_ the school?" She asked.

"You were late. Who is this?" He asked pointing to Masato. Ino blushed again and smiled.

"This is my friend Masato. He asked me to the dance on Friday. Can I go Daddy?" She asked sweetly. He frowned.

"No." He answered. "Now let's go. I have a case to get back to and Mrs. Sato is waiting for you two."

"But Dad!" She protested.

"Ino Yamanaka, do not take that tone with me. No is the final answer now move it!"

Present Day…

"I guess in retrospect I can see why she would want to leave." Shikamaru remarked. Sakura nodded in agreement and waited for him to go on. He walked to the window and stared out at the rain which had not lightened up. "Well things only got worse when we became teenagers. She became more outspoken and began rebelling…"

Six Years Ago…

"God Dammit Dad! I'm sixteen! I should be able to hang out with whoever I like!" Ino shouted.

"Watch your language, young lady!" Inoichi yelled back. Shikamaru sat on the couch watching the television with subtitles. He had grown accustomed to the Yamanaka screaming matches.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn!" She screamed.

"That's it! You are grounded! No phone, no computer, no television!" He barked. "And you can most certainly forget the prom!"

"Blah, blah, blah! You can't stop me from going to the prom any more than you can stop me from walking out right now!"

"Wanna bet?" He threatened.

"C'mon Shika, we're leaving." Ino grabbed her jacket and marched over to the door. Shikamaru reluctantly followed.

"Do not take one more step towards that door!" Inoichi shouted. She continued walking defiantly. "Don't you dare open that door!" She grabbed the knob and threw the door open. "Do not step outside of this house!" He bellowed. She stomped out the door and walked away.

Present Day…

"An hour later I was dragged home in handcuffs by one of my father's cop friends." Ino explained resentfully.

"And that's why you left?" Gaara asked.

"After that last fight my father got even crazier. When I went to my room and found bars on the window I knew it was the last straw…"

Five Years Ago…

Inoichi parked the car in the Nara's driveway and turned to his seventeen year old daughter in the seat next to him.

"Now remember that I'll be calling at nine to check on you. If you don't answer I will come back here to check up on you." He explained calmly. Ino rolled her eyes and forced a smile.

"I know Dad. Seriously, I'm spending the night at Shikamaru's house, and Shikaku is home."She said. "And I'm not a little girl. I can handle myself. Don't worry about me." Inoichi frowned.

"I'm your father. It's my job to worry about you." He replied.

"Take the night off." She smiled genuinely and got out of the car. She grabbed her back pack out of the back seat and closed the door. "Goodbye Dad." She said before walking towards the house. When she was on the front porch she turned and waved as he pulled out and drove away.

A few hours later, at nine o'clock sharp she got a call from her father. When he was satisfied that everything was OK he said goodnight. Ino turned to her best friend who was lying on the couch with his eyes closed.

"Let's watch a movie." She suggested walking over to the DVD rack. She knelt down and ran her fingers over the numerous titles searching for a specific one. "Here"

"Let me guess, _Romeo and Juliet_?" He asked without opening his eyes.

"No. _Citizen Kane_." This got his attention and he sat up.

"But you hate that movie." He said. She smiled at him and put the disc in the player.

"But it's your favorite. I figure I can give it another try." So they settled down and watched the movie.

"Well, what did you think that time?" Shikamaru asked when it ended.

"I liked it." She replied.

"What changed?" He inquired as she began cleaning up the popcorn and soda cans.

"I guess I was never mature enough to understand the beauty of the film." He stared at her incredulously.

"And you are now?" She smiled at him thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I am." After helping him clean up she glanced at the clock. "Oh man it's already past eleven thirty! I really should get home."

"I'll drive you." He offered.

"No, that's all right. I think I want to walk. It's a nice night and I only live a few blocks away." She said.

"You're dad would kill me if he knew I let you walk home alone." He said.

"Then I won't tell him. Besides he's been getting better lately." She explained. Shikamaru looked skeptical but didn't want to argue. He was getting a strange feeling from the way she was acting.

"All right. Well then good night." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow." Ino smiled sadly and nodded. She stopped halfway to the door then turned around and hugged him.

"Goodbye Shika." She whispered then she let go and…

Present Day…

"…and walked out the door. We haven't seen or heard from her since. Well that is until now." Shikamaru explained. Sakura sat silently processing the story.

"Wow, I am so sorry, Shikamaru. That is really tough." She said after a moment.

"Yeah, I have no idea what happened to her after that, but from what I saw today it doesn't look good."

"So what is your story, Sasuke?" Temari asked after setting the coffee down in front of him. He eyed her dubiously before deciding what to say.

"My life started the day I met Ino…"

Five Years Ago…

At age eighteen Sasuke was finally free. He did his time, though his crime was still undetermined, and now he was ready to start his own life. This life started at the bus station at midnight. He'd been out for two hours and already there was a bump in his road outta here. It was a small problem called money, or the lack thereof. He stood a little ways away from the ticket window and surveyed the area.

There weren't many people around. About three passengers were waiting for the bus that would pull in any minute. Besides them there was an elderly janitor sweeping out the waiting area and a young girl on a cell phone. As he walked by the girl, who appeared to be about his age, he overheard part of her conversation.

"Yeah, I made it home all right… No my dad was asleep when I got home. I'll just write him a note… Ok, goodnight." She closed the phone then dumped it in the trash. Sasuke smirked and watched her approach the ticket window. "Yes one ticket please." She said politely.

"How old are you, young lady?" The woman in the window asked. "You know you have to be at least eighteen to purchase a bus ticket, right?" The girl faltered, then just walked away. Sasuke saw a good opportunity. He rushed over and intercepted the girl before she could leave.

"Excuse me." She said irritably as she tried to get around him.

"I couldn't help overhearing your problem just now." He began smoothly. "I think I can help." She looked at him carefully then smiled.

"I'm Ino." She said with her hand outstretched. He took it and shook.

"Sasuke." He replied.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another chapter for you, my loyal readers. Thank you.**

The rain continued to pour down on the bustling city. People were rushing about on the sidewalks trying to get out of the rain quickly on their way to jobs, schools, shopping malls and homes.

Ino had always liked the rain, not in a mopey 'life is miserable' way. She just liked the idea that the rain could come down and wash away all the unpleasant things. And now, sitting here with Gaara and just talking, she hoped it wouldn't end. It felt nice having someone, other than Sasuke, that she could be so open with. She wasn't sure why but she just felt completely comfortable talking with the quiet, mysterious red head.

"When I got to the bus station I felt excited, and terrified and so alive. But most of that was overshadowed by my nearly crippling fear. Fear of being caught. Fear of getting away." Ino began as she got lost in the memories. "That fear nearly beat me too, until I met Sasuke…"

Five Years Ago…

"I'm Ino." She said with her hand outstretched. He took it and shook.

"Sasuke." He replied. She smiled at him before pulling her hand back.

"So what's your plan?" She asked.

"Well that depends. How far are you willing to go to get on that bus?" Sasuke asked seriously.

"I'll do just about anything to get the hell out of this town." She replied. He smiled and nodded.

"All right then. First, how are your acting skills?"

"Decent." She replied. He thought it through for a moment then nodded.

"All right, here's the plan." They went over the plan a few times until they were satisfied that they knew it well.

Ino walked by the ticket window and stopped in the middle of the waiting room. She glanced over at the window where the woman was sitting and reading a book. She let out a convincing cry and fell to the ground. Immediately everyone in the room rushed over to see what the matter was, everyone including the ticket lady.

As the door was swinging shut Sasuke, who was waiting behind the ticket booth, reached out and stopped it. He got inside and quickly went to work printing two tickets for the next bus out of town. He glanced out the window nervously as the tickets were processing. Ino was playing her part well.

Once the tickets were done he grabbed them, snatched a few bucks from the cash box and hurried back out of the booth. He got over to the crowd just in time to see Ino "wake up".

"Excuse me! Please let me through!" He said, dramatically pushing past the four people between him and Ino. "That is my cousin." He reached down to help Ino to her feet. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist to support her.

"Is she OK?" One man asked.

"Oh, yes, of course. Sometimes she just gets overwhelmed. I think she just needs some fresh air." He helped her over to the door and they walked outside together. "Nice work in there." Sasuke said, truly impressed.

"Well thank you." She replied happily. "How did you do?" He showed her the tickets and watched her eyes light up. "Thank you so much!" Without thinking she threw her arms around him. He didn't exactly return the hug but he didn't push her away either.

"So, where are you heading?" He inquired as they walked over and sat down on a bench.

"As far from here as I can." She said with a sigh.

"Yeah, me too. Is this your first time running away?" She looked shocked then blushed slightly.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"You'll learn. All it takes is time." He glanced down the road. "Here's our ride." They stood up as the bus pulled into the station. Soon they were rolling down the highway and away from their troubles.

Present Day…

Sasuke was completely lost in the memories as he spoke.

"It wasn't a very sophisticated plan but we worked well together. We decided to keep each other company until we made other plans. So after the bus ride we got a couple train tickets and just kept going…"

Five Years Ago…

"So," Sasuke began. Now that they were on a train speeding farther and farther away they finally felt safe. "What's a girl like you got to run from?" She turned from the window to look at him. After a moment of hesitation she replied.

"My father."

"What'd he do? Beat you?" He asked, becoming visibly upset.

"No, he was just really controlling." She explained causing him to relax and chuckle.

"Aren't all fathers?" At this she frowned.

"Yeah, well, not all fathers have the police at their disposal. My dad is a cop." She said bitterly. He looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Small world. My dad is a cop too." Sasuke said every bit as resentfully as Ino. "So trust me, I totally understand what you mean. When my old man wasn't belittling me or forcing me to train for the police exam, he was ignoring me." Ino gazed at him with a new appreciation.

"That sucks. My father was always overprotective. I just thought that was normal, until my mother left him. Then he became almost psychotic about "protecting" me." She explained. "Then when I'd try to go out and have a life he would have his officers arrest me and bring me home. I just couldn't take it anymore. I used to resent my mother for leaving us, but now I understand." Now Ino had tears in her eyes which she tried to hide. He reached out hesitantly then drew his hand back and handed her a handkerchief.

She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment of silence her companion began laughing. She frowned at him and demanded to know what was funny.

"What a pathetic pair we make. Your dad cared too much and mine didn't care enough." He said with a chuckle. "Must be fate that we met tonight." She smiled warmly at him.

"Must be." She was about to ask him another question but she paused.

"What is it?" He inquired after seeing the look on her face.

"I-I was just wondering what your plans are after the train stops." Ino said quietly.

"Well I figured I'd find a place to crash first." He said. She looked away sadly and nodded. "I think we should stick together a while longer. If fate brought us together there must be a reason. That is, unless you have other plans once the train stops." She shook her head enthusiastically and beamed at him. "Then it's settled, once we get to the city our new destiny begins."

Present Day…

"We just talked for the rest of the train ride." Ino explained happily. "I told him all about my life, my old friend and my crazy father. And he told me all about his life." She stared out the window thoughtfully before continuing. "I think I was the first person he had ever spoken so openly with." She was so lost in her story it almost seemed like she had forgotten the red haired man who was listening intently to every word she said.

After a few moments of staring at the rain, which had faded to a soft drizzle, she shook the daze and glanced over at Gaara and smiled.

"So that's really our whole story." She concluded.

"Ino?" Sasuke called from the bottom of the stairway. She glanced over at the door then stood up and began walking away. She paused in the doorway and turned back to Gaara.

"Thanks for listening to my boring story. I think I really needed to tell someone." She said appreciatively.

"Thank you for telling me." He replied with a small smile.

"Will you come down with me?" She asked. He nodded and followed her out of the room.

Sasuke was waiting with Temari and her friends at the bottom of the staircase as they descended. Once she got down she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. His arms wrapped around he tenderly and they just stood there for a minute.

"Thank you for all of your help." Ino said after they broke apart.

"We truly appreciate it." Sasuke added.

"But we really do have to go now." Ino finished.

"We understand. If you're ever in the city again feel free to come visit. Maybe we could work together next time." Temari said with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, and sorry about the bad first impression." Kiba added. Shino nodded silently.

"Me too. I totally respect you, bro." Kankuro said.

"I don't really know you two but I like you already!" The bug eyed man known as Lee said overemotionally.

Finally Ino turned and gave Gaara a hug. He whispered something to her before she let go. She looked startled but managed to smile and say goodbye to everyone else.

"What did he say to you?" Sasuke asked after they had shut the door behind them.

"Nothing, just, you know, be careful." She said absently. He stared at her skeptically but did not press the subject.

"Let's just find a ride." He said looking up and down the street.

"Ah finally this wretched rain has ceased." Hiashi said as he glanced out the window in his office. "Has your cousin returned from lunch yet?" He asked. Hinata stood completely silent by the corner of his desk. At that moment the door opened and the dark haired man from the pub walked in.

"Yes Father." Hinata answered quietly. The old man turned around to face his nephew.

"Ah, Neji, I trust you had a nice lunch." He said pleasantly to the younger man in front of him.

"It was fine." Neji replied blandly.

"Yes, well then, down to business, shall we?" Hiashi nodded to Hinata who produced a folder and set it in front of her cousin. "I need you to find this woman." He began. Neji opened the folder and took out the picture. In it was a young woman with long blonde hair. The image was obviously a cleaned up security camera screenshot. "Find out who she is and who she is working with." The younger Hyuuga looked at his uncle.

"Is that all?" He inquired.

"No, I also want you to find her and her associates and persuade them to leave the city immediately."

"What am I to do if they refuse?" Neji asked.

"For now, I suppose you should turn them in to the police." Hiashi replied then, noticing the surprised look on Neji's face, he added. "I know, it is quite boring, but we must play nicely with the law. Or they will not return the favor." Hiashi smiled, but it was a cruel and ominous sort of smile. Neji bowed politely to his uncle then took the folder and left the office. "You are dismissed as well, Hinata." He waved his daughter away and returned to his desk.

In the hallway Neji walked at a brisk pace back to his own office which was located one floor below his uncle's. As soon as he walked through the door he was greeted by the brown haired woman he'd had lunch with.

"Tenten, what are you doing in here?" He asked as he brushed past her to sit at his desk.

"I thought I'd come visit you." She replied joyfully. She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. He glanced at the door nervously then moved away from her.

"You shouldn't be here if you don't have a reason to be." He said coldly. She watched him sadly as he moved about the room. He glanced at her and reacted to her miserable expression. "I'm sorry, but you know the company policy about inter-office dating. Especially when it comes to people in the family." She continued to pout but eventually nodded.

"I know and I don't want to get you in trouble. This place sucks. I wish we could just run away together and never look back." Tenten said dreamily. Neji smiled a little then frowned.

"I can't leave. They may be horrible people but they are still my family." He walked over to her and held her hand. "One day things will be different. I promise you we will be together." He kissed her hand and smiled at her. "The old man can't live forever."

"Knowing him he probably will. Just to torture you." She said, only half joking. He grimaced at the thought then laughed.

"You should go. We don't want to get caught." Neji said sadly. He glanced at the door then gave her a quick kiss. Tenten walked to the door and, after one last glance at the Hyuuga that she loved, she left.

"How about this one?" Ino stood beside a fire engine red sports car, eyeing it eagerly.

"No, it's too noticeable." Sasuke replied as he walked around the parking structure.

"I know, but a girl can dream can't she?" She moved away from the red car and stopped by a little black four door sedan. He stopped and looked over at her.

"When we get out of this I'll buy you any car you want." He said. Ino walked around the car and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I don't need a fancy car." She kissed him lightly then grinned. "I only need you." He held her close and kissed her again. It was warm and tender and she never wanted it to end. Then they both heard the sound of a gun cocking and broke apart.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard." Dosu said sarcastically. Sasuke moved in front of Ino instinctively, blocking her from the gun. He was silently planning their escape until two more people appeared behind them with guns.

"Don't even think about running." Zaku said threateningly.

"It's time you came home, Sasuke."


	7. Chapter 7

The car was filled with an uncomfortable silence as they drove. Ino and Sasuke were huddled together in the back seat between Dosu and Zaku as Kin drove. Sasuke glared at their captors and held Ino protectively. Despite the grim circumstances she was very calm and did her best to sooth Sasuke. No one spoke until they pulled into the private parking garage beneath the Sound Wave Technologies headquarters. Dosu opened the door and barked at the passengers to get out.

During the walk to Orochimaru's office Sasuke covertly surveyed the area, seeking out the easiest escape route. Just ahead of him Ino walked silently, keeping her thoughts secret even from the man she loved. Upon arriving at the door Zaku raised his fist and knocked firmly.

"Enter." Kabuto's voice came in response. With one last glimpse of freedom they were lead into the room where it all began.

Three Years Ago…

"Test your skills! Test your wit! See if you can follow the queen as she shifts and slides!" The young blonde shouted as she bounced this way and that through the slowly forming crowd. "You sir!" She called skipping over to a middle aged man in a suit. "My associate is quite fast but I bet you are much quicker." She said with a sweet smile.

"No, well I, uhh." He stammered with a blush. She grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the table where Sasuke stood with three playing cards face up. One was a seven of spades, the next was a 2 of clubs and the third was the queen of diamonds. He smirked at the man as Ino dragged him to the opposite side of the table.

"It's two bucks to play. What you have to do is keep your eyes on the queen. After I shuffle them around a bit you get one chance to pick a card. If you guess right you win, if you're wrong you lose. Understand?" Sasuke asked. The man glanced nervously at Ino who gave him a reassuring smile. "All right, let's play." He flipped the cards over then began to shuffle them swiftly across the smooth surface of the table. The older man watched carefully and when they stopped moving he eagerly pointed to the card on the left side. Sasuke flipped it over and revealed the red queen.

"See! I told you you would be good at this!" Ino gushed. The man beamed proudly and put down two more dollars to play again. After four more games Sasuke made an offer.

"I think you are far to advanced to be playing for two bucks a round. To make it more interesting what if you lay down all the money you've won and I put up the same amount? If you win you take it all." The man looked unsure then he glanced at Ino again.

"You can do it." She said supportively. He smiled and set down all the money he'd won so far. Sasuke produced the same amount and began shuffling the cards again. When he stopped the man immediately pointed to the card in the middle. When it was revealed it was the seven of spades. The man frowned as his money was taken away. Ino gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder.

"Would you like to play again?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Double or nothing!" The man said eagerly. By the time the man gave up they had taken nearly one hundred dollars from him. They had also gained the attention of a pair of uniformed police officers.

"Time to move, babe." Ino whispered as they scrambled to collect their stuff.

"Hey! You two!" One of the officers shouted. The young couple took off and managed to lose the cops on the crowded city streets.

"I am so sick of this." Ino said. "We've been at it for nearly two weeks and have barely made enough money for a decent meal." They walked down the street casually while keeping their guard up in case the cops spot them. "When are we gonna start making _real_ money off our scams? Better yet when are we going to stop doing these stupid little scams and pull off something big? Where's my adventure? You promised me adventure!"

As they were passing by the tinted, back window of a dark town car rolled down and the man inside began speaking to the couple.

"I don't mean to eavesdrop, but did I hear you say you were looking for "adventure"?" Sasuke got a bad vibe from this man and wanted nothing more than to ignore him and keep moving, but Ino, not having the instincts to avoid sketchy people, paused a few feet from the car. She was cautious enough to keep her distance from the strange man, but she was also curious.

"Maybe we are." Sasuke said, careful not to give anything away, lest this be an undercover cop.

"Then I am just the man to provide it. I saw you two in the park with the little card trick. I must say while it is a crude and amateurish act I was impressed." Replied the man.

"What do you want from us?" Ino inquired seriously. The man smiled a wicked smile at them.

"Well I would like to train you. Help you to reach your potential and start those "big" scores. That is what you want, is it not?"Sasuke remained skeptical of the strange man and pulled Ino aside just out of earshot.

"I don't trust this guy. I think he's setting us up." Sasuke whispered anxiously.

"I don't think so. I think he genuinely wants to help us. And this may the opportunity we need to break out of the small time." She replied.

"But what if he's a cop? We would be admitting our guilt." He countered.

"He's not a cop." She said with certainty. Sasuke frowned. "Let's just try it. If it's not right then we can leave, or fight our way out." She finished with a smile. He was still feeling uncomfortable with the idea but found it impossible to say no to her when she had that look on her face.

"All right, but at the first sign of trouble we get out."

"Agreed." They walked back to the car. "Ok, where do we sign up?" She asked enthusiastically. The man smiled happily and told them where to be later that evening. "Great, oh and I'm Ino and this is Sasuke."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He replied charmingly.

"And what do we call you?" Sasuke asked. The man smiled wickedly again.

"Call me Orochimaru. Your new best friend."

Present Day…

The cursor sat idle, just blinking and blinking at Shikamaru, waiting patiently for him to begin typing. He stared blankly at the picture of Ino on the report, with no clue as to why he had not updated it yet. After a few more moments of deep thought he sighed and began typing.

**Last seen by her friend Nara, Shikamaru at 11:37 pm at the Nara residence.**

**Update: Yamanaka, Ino was spotted in Crimson City at 12:55 pm on 4/25/12. She was wearing a dark coat, blue jeans and black boots.**

His mouse hovered over the 'save report' button as he wrestled with the decision of whether to click it or not. Updating her file would give him a better chance of finding her. It would give every station in the country the information that she was still out there, but it would also mean certain people she didn't want finding her could access it as well. Finally he clicked save and agreed with his logical voice that it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.

"Gather around everyone!" Kakashi called as he headed to the television that had been set up for him. "We have some new evidence for our bandit case." He popped the tape in and eagerly waited for the detectives to assemble. "What we have here is video evidence of one of the thefts." He pressed play and let the video roll.

Once it finished there was silence.

"What does that tell us?" Choji asked.

"An expert analyst was able to get us this," He hands out pictures of the woman in the photo, "cleaned up picture of the accomplice. I believe finding this women will lead to the capture of the thieves."

Shikamaru took the photo and just barely kept the gasp from escaping his mouth. Despite the low quality, even after being cleaned up, he instantly knew who he was looking at.

"Now get to work on finding her!" Kakashi shouted in conclusion. Shikamaru went back to his desk and set the picture down.

"Oh Ino, what have you gotten yourself into?"He thought to himself. He decided then that he would find her and get an explanation before he told anyone what he knew.

Orochimaru stood as the group entered his office. The moment he saw Sasuke his eyes lit up. He held out his arms in a welcoming gesture as they approached.

"My children, it is so comforting to see that you are both safe." He said warmly. When no one replied his smile faded and he walked around to the front of his desk so that he stood directly in front of them. "Do you know how you've hurt me?"

"We were prepared to pay you back." Sasuke said stiffly.

"I'm not talking about the money. Money means little to me compared to the safety of my family. And when you," Orochimaru paused as his gaze shifted from Sasuke to Ino, "two disappeared, without so much as a goodbye, well I was worried sick." He said dramatically. For a few moments there was awkward silence.

"Uh, sorry, I guess." Sasuke said.

"Well, if that's all we'll just be going." Ino said anxiously. The older man frowned.

"Before that we must discuss the money. After all the two of didn't just hurt me. The rest of the team was quite upset that you two ripped them off."

"Right, well that's why we have been saving our money. So we could pay you back." She replied.

"And how well has that been working?" He asked disdainfully.

"It would work a whole hell of a lot better if you'd stop chasing around the country!"

"Well I have a proposition for the two of you. We have been planning a very special job for some time now. If you two help us pull it off then we shall consider your debt repaid and you will be free to go on your way." The young couple shared doubtful glances in their form of silent communication.

"All right, but after this you have to leave us alone." Sasuke said seriously.

"Marvelous." Orochimaru said with a wicked smile.

**I know it was kinda short. Hopefully I will be able to focus better next time. Til then!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**A Night of Wonder**_

_**Hosted by The Red Cloud Organization**_

_**You are invited to join us in celebrating our 20****th**** anniversary.**_

_**In honor of the event there will be a charity auction of a mystery item**_

_**Friday April 27****th**_**_, 6pm at the_ _Royale_**

Hinata re-read the invitation as the limo coasted leisurely down the road. It was a chilly spring evening and the cool silk material of her dress continued to pull body heat away from her. She pulled her wrap tighter and stared out the window at the brightly lit buildings moving by. Neji sat across from her with his ever serious gaze fixed on the folder he was studying. Hiashi sat to the left of his nephew quietly talking on his cell phone. Across from him his seventeen year old daughter Hanabi was texting in fast, smooth motions.

Hinata looked back at her family, each in their own little world. They did not speak to each other or even glance up from what they were doing. At that moment she wondered what it would be like if she'd been born into a different family. If she had had a normal childhood and a devoted father who loved her despite her flaws. If she'd had a kind and affectionate little sister who looked up to her and cared for her, and a supportive cousin who she could confide in and rely on. But these thoughts were fleeting as she knew they would do nothing but hurt her. So she turned away from her family and resumed staring sadly out the window.

Across from her Neji continued to study the information he had compiled about the woman in the photo and the thefts she and her mystery partner had committed. Despite his almost legendary focus he could not keep his mind from drifting to Tenten.

He could still see her heartbreaking reaction poorly hidden under false indifference to the fact she could not attend the party with him. While she had said she was fine with it and that she had never wanted to go, he could see through it and knew how crushed she was. He wished he could be with her for real. Sometimes he dreamed of running away with her, like she wanted. He could imagine the two of them living together out of the reach of his controlling family. He quickly shook off the image and returned to the file in front of him.

"Do you know what you must do?" Orochimaru asked as they pulled into the line for the valet. He sat across from the young couple in the back of the limo. Sasuke had his arm around Ino and she held his other hand in her own. They looked at each other then nodded back at him. He smiled his charming and wicked smile. "Then let us do this so you two can be on your merry way."

The door opened and Orochimaru climbed out and set his top hat gently atop his head. Sasuke slid out next and held his hand out to assist Ino. Her long scarlet dress swept along behind her as they walked towards the grand entrance to the Hotel Royale. She huddled close to Sasuke to try and retain some warmth in the chilly evening air.

Orochimaru presented their invitation upon approaching the grand ballroom and soon they entered the party which was in full swing. On a small stage a string quartet played a fast paced melody. In front of them the dance floor was filled with couples dancing elegantly. All the men were impeccably dressed in tuxes and coattails while the women sparkled in glittering jewels and floor length gowns. It was the most beautiful sight Ino had ever seen and she longed to be part of it.

"Enjoy the party for a while. We begin at 8 o'clock sharp." Orochimaru explained before disappearing into the crowd. Ino continued to watch the dancing couples enviously. Sasuke noticed where her gaze fell and smiled.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" He asked holding his hand out to her. She beamed at him and accepted it.

"You may, kind sir." She replied with a giggle. They rushed off to the dance floor.

Hinata took a light sip from her champagne glass and watched her sister flirting with some guy across the room. She sighed and glanced at the clock. It read 7:30. This meant they had only been there for an hour. It felt like a year. She finished her drink and got up to take a walk around the room. She passed her cousin chatting with a man she recognized as the CEO of one of the companies they had formed an alliance with and at the moment she neither remember which one nor cared.

She headed out towards the rest room to freshen up. She pushed the door open and walked over to the sink. She ran her hands under the warm water for a minute then grabbed a towel off the counter. As she was drying her hands another woman entered the room and walked over to the mirror beside her.

"Great party, isn't it?" The woman asked. Hinata's shy nature was no match for her low alcohol tolerance.

"Yes I suppose." She replied. The young woman turned towards her.

"What's wrong? You don't sound like you're enjoying yourself." She inquired kindly. Hinata glanced at her.

"Nothing is wrong. I-I guess I am just t-tired, that's all." She replied. The other woman nodded understandingly. Somehow she knew that tired did not mean sleep deprived.

"You're a Hyuuga, right?" She asked. Hinata nodded. "I can imagine you would be tired then. No offense but from what I hear your family is like a cult. There's no getting out of it. But I say if you are truly unhappy you should do whatever it takes to fix it."

"M-my father would never allow m-me to do what I want." She explained grimly.

"Well you know what they say. Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission." The woman turned and began moving towards the door. She paused and glanced back at Hinata. "I hope that helps."

Leaning against the wall Sasuke watched the grand marble clock in the foyer as the hands ticked closer to 8. He had a bad feeling about this night and wanted nothing more than to grab Ino and get the hell out. As if on cue the bathroom door opened and she walked over to him.

"You ready?" She asked him with a small smile. "After tonight it will all be over and we'll finally have a life together." He couldn't muster a smile.

"I don't think we should do this. Come on let's just leave now." He said taking her hand and pulling her towards the door. She grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Sasuke no." Ino stepped away from him. "We can't run anymore. I'm tired, you're tired, and now we have an opportunity to end this." They fell silent as the bathroom door opened again and Hinata walked by. She smiled at Ino as she past then continued on into the ballroom. "We have to at least try, baby." She gently stroked his face with the back of her hand.

"All right, but I still don't think this is a good idea. I've got a bad feeling about it. Just be careful." He pulled her into an embrace and she melted in it. "I love you." He whispered against her hair.

"I love you too." A moment later they broke apart and moved back into the ballroom. "Let's dance again. We still have time." They made their way through the crowd towards the dance floor. She turned back to say something and bumped into someone causing him to spill his wine. "I am so sorry." She said.

"No worries." The dark haired stranger replied. "No use crying over spilt wine."

"Isn't that a bit clichéd?" She asked with a grin. The man smiled back.

"I suppose it is, but that does not make it any less true." He said. Sasuke watched the interaction suspiciously but said nothing.

"Well if you'll excuse us we have a date on the dance floor." Ino explained happily. The man stepped out of the way and bowed slightly as she passed.

"Have a nice evening."

"Sure." Sasuke muttered under his breath. He glanced back once more as Ino pulled him off and noticed the stranger staring after them.

At 8 o'clock they began their work. Ino's job was to flirt with the guard at the door and get herself inside the room. Next Sasuke would barge in and distract him and finally, while the room was in chaos Orochimaru would enter and remove the mystery item.

Ino kissed Sasuke for luck and strolled up to the man standing by the door marked storage. She delicately held on to her glass of champagne as she approached her mark.

"Excuse me, sir, could you hold this for a moment?" she inquired holding out the glass to him. He stared at her for a moment then reached out and took it. "Thank you so much. My feet are killing me. These new shoes are cute but they are killer on the feet." She explained. She leaned on him and slipped off her high heels. "Ahh much better. You have no idea how amazing it feels to get those off." She sighed contentedly and smiled at him.

"I can imagine." He replied with a grin.

"So do you know what's behind the door?" She asked. He nodded and her smile grew. "Is it amazing? I bet it's something gorgeous. I find mysteries really," she gently bit her lip in a flirty way, "exciting."

"I, uh, I could show you, if you wanted." He suggested.

"I would love that." She replied. He glanced around the room quickly then swiped his keycard to enter the room. He led the way through the door and as it was swinging shut behind them Ino quietly stuck her shoe in the way so it did not close all the way.

"Three days!" Naruto roared. "It has been three days with not a single incident!" He was irritably pacing in front of his partner's desk and her patience was growing thin.

"We know, Naruto. Please sit down, you are wearing a hole in the floor." Sakura said angrily.

"You don't think they've moved on, do you? I mean they got really tricky that last time. The woman didn't notice anything missing until she came in to file a report." He said as he continued walking back and forth in front of the pink haired detective. "That means they're confident and therefore should have no reason to want to move on. Right?" He asked, turning towards Sakura.

"I don't know, Naruto."

"Maybe they're planning something bigger. Something that will blow the department away. We have to find out.."

"They are definitely long gone." Shikamaru interrupted. Naruto froze and stared at his colleague.

"How can you know that?" He demanded. Sakura looked over at Shikamaru sadly.

"I just do." With that he got up and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked as he began packing his paperwork up. "We have a report of a robbery in progress over at the Royale Hotel. I'm sending four black and whites and I want you, Naruto, Sakura and Choji to get over there as well."

"Isn't that where that big party is tonight?" Sakura inquired.

"Yes, and we offered our services but they declined. Who's laughing now?" She chuckled then she turned serious again. "What are you still doing here? Get moving!" The four detectives jumped up and rushed off.

The room was fairly small and lit by a row of overhead lights. There were chairs stacked against the back wall and a shelf that held a few piles of dusty plates. In the center of the room stood a chest height pedestal on wheels covered by a thick blue velvet curtain which obscured any trace of the shape and size of the object. Ino eyed it excitedly as the guard walked her over to it.

"Is that it?" She inquired. He nodded and reached for the corner of the velvet cloth. Then he flipped it over and revealed a glass case atop the pedestal which contained a deep blue colored diamond the size of Ino's fist. She gasped when she saw it and admired the way it reflected the light. "Oh my god. It's beautiful." She said gazing at it in a daze.

"It's the largest know diamond of that color. The leader of the organization acquired it during a trip to Europe." He explained.

"What does that mean? Acquired?" She asked without taking her eyes off the gem.

"I don't ask those questions." He responded as he replaced the velvet curtain. She looked over at the door and wondered where Sasuke was. "Well, what do you think?" He asked suggestively. She smiled as well as she could, not able to shake the feeling that something went wrong outside.

"It's amazing, just as I thought." She replied. He grinned and slowly moved towards her.

"Just as I promised." He said reaching out and stroking her hair. She had to keep herself from cringing and stole another glance at the door. He noticed this and looked over his shoulder at the door. "What are you looking at?" He asked. She responded by slamming a plate over his head.

"Plan B" she thought. He fell to his knees and held his head. She jumped on his back and locked in a sleeper hold which he was too shocked to fight off. Soon he was lying on the ground unconscious and she pulled back the blue curtain once again revealing the dazzling diamond. As she was taking the glass case off she heard shouts from the ballroom.

Sasuke anxiously watched his girlfriend get led into the storage area. He still had a bad feeling that something was not right. A few feet away Orochimaru was speaking with a man who Sasuke could not identify due to the fact that his back was turned towards him. He tried to ignore the nasty feeling he was getting and began moving towards the door marked storage. Halfway there he paused when he heard sirens outside the hotel. From what he could tell they were getting closer. He began to move more quickly, pushing his way through the denser parts of the crowd. He was around six feet from the door when Orochimaru intercepted him.

"Don't go in there." He whispered furiously. "We must go. It is too dangerous to stay with the police approaching." Sasuke glared past him at the propped open door.

"I can't leave Ino." He argued trying to fight against the older man's painful grip.

"It's too late, we have to get out of here now. There is no time." Orochimaru began dragging Sasuke to a side door that led to the parking lot. He struggled against the hold but found himself unable to break it when he felt a small pinch on his arm.

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked drowsily as he began to realize the truth.

"Don't worry. I will take good care of you, as I always do." Sasuke barely heard the end of the sentence as he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he heard was the police calling the attention of the crowd.

The detectives rushed into the hotel and immediately walked to the ballroom.

"Attention everyone!" Naruto shouted. All heads turned towards them and the room became silent in seconds. "We have received a report of a robbery taking place here. So everyone remain calm and we can get to the bottom of this."

The uniformed officers filed in and began searching the place. The four detectives sought out the people in charge of the party and came across the personal secretary to the leader of the organization. She led them to the storage room where the mystery item was being held.

Ino cursed as she heard the police beginning their search. She peaked out the crack in the door and saw two detectives being lead to the room.

"Shit, shit dammit!" She swore. She quickly removed her shoe and allowed the door to close. Next she began searching the room for some way to escape. There were no windows or vents for her to climb through and there was certainly no back door. "Dammit." She said one last time as the lock beeped and the door opened. She turned around and put her hands up in surrender.

Naruto smiled triumphantly and walked over to Ino.

"You are under arrest, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." He began as he grabbed her arms and locked the handcuffs into place. Sakura rushed to the fallen security guard and helped him to his feet.

Ino was marched out through the crowd, which parted as she walked by. She saw the dark haired stranger, whose wine she had spilled, watching her curiously with a look in his eye she could not describe. Next she saw Hinata, the girl she had spoken with in the bathroom, who looked shocked. She failed to notice a certain other Hyuuga eyeing her warily. Finally she was led past an absolutely horrified Shikamaru. He quickly followed his fellow detectives out to the cars and watched as his childhood friend was loaded into the back of a squad car.

In the interrogation room Ino sat silently staring at the two way mirror. Shikamaru stood beside the chief on the other side of the glass.

"So you want to conduct this one, huh?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes ma'am." He replied respectfully.

"You clear it with Naruto? After all he was the arresting officer." She asked.

"Yes ma'am." He said again. "He's too busy exaggerating the story to the others." Tsunade laughed then walked away. Shikamaru inhaled deeply then walked into the room.

Ino's eyes settled on him immediately but she said nothing.

"Can you believe this?" He asked shakily. She raised one of her perfect blonde eyebrows at him but still said nothing. "The only way I can have a conversation with you is in an interrogation room. Crazy since once upon a time you would tell me everything." She looked down at the table sadly.

"I never meant to hurt you." She said quietly. "I just had to get out."

"I know." He replied then he sat down in the chair across the table from her. "Can you tell me what happened tonight?" He asked. She shook her head and he frowned. "I want to help you, and I know you well enough to know you wouldn't do something like this by yourself." Still she did not answer. "Can you tell me who the man you took off with three days ago was?" He inquired. She shook her head again and kept her gaze on the table. Shikamaru was quickly becoming frustrated. "If you don't talk then you are going to go to prison for a long time and there is nothing I can do about it."

"I can't tell you." She glanced up at him for a moment then went back to studying the table top. He did not know what to do. Suddenly a thought came to him, the best way to manipulate her.

"Well if you won't talk I guess there is nothing I can do." He began walking away but paused at the door. "I guess I'll just call your dad and see if he can help." At the mention of her father she became frantic.

"Wait!" She cried. "Please Shika, you can't call him! He can't know where I am."

"Then tell me what happened tonight!" He shouted. "Who are you working with?"

"I can't tell you that!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "I won't, Shikamaru, I love him and I won't let anyone hurt him." Ino calmed down and folded her arms on the cold table in front of her.

"Who would hurt him?" Shikamaru asked calmly. She frowned at him.

"If I told you he would get killed." At this point Shikamaru had had enough. He slammed his fist on the table hard enough to make it tremble.

"Dammit Ino! All I have ever done is look out for you! Our whole lives whenever you had a problem you came to me! Even before your mom left." He began. "And then one day, without any sort of warning, you just disappeared. We went from two people with no secrets to complete strangers. And then there was your father! He went ballistic on me and my dad. He was so hurt and angry and we were the only ones he had to take it out on!" He was panting at this point.

"Shika-"

"No, I am not finished!" He shouted. "I understand why you left, I really do, but it was the most selfish, idiotic, destructive, immature thing you have ever done! You weren't just hurting your father you hurt everyone around you. But most of all you've destroyed your own future as well." Tears were spilling down her cheeks by the end of his outburst and he had to lean on a chair for support.

"I-I'm sorry." She whispered without looking up at him.  
>Just then there was a knock on the door and Tsunade threw it open.<p>

"This interview is over." She announced. She was met with two surprised looks.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked, still a bit breathless.

"An agent of the Organization has come to drop the charges against her." She explained gesturing towards Ino who had begun wiping the tears off her face. "So despite my best efforts she is free to go." With that said Tsunade disappeared back to her office.

Ino watched Shikamaru to understand his reaction as she stood and passed by him. When she reached the door he grabbed her wrist.

"We are not done. So don't go far." He warned seriously but not threateningly. She yanked her arm away and moved on.

In the lobby she was met with a shocking sight. The man who had come to drop the charges was tall, wore a dark suit with a red tie and had his long black hair tied into a ponytail. She knew immediately who she was seeing even though this was the first time she'd laid eyes on him. When he noticed her approaching the corners of his lips curled up slightly forming a small smile.

"You must be Ino." He said evenly. "I have heard quite a bit about you."

"How?" She inquired. His smiled turned a bit cocky.

"Let's just say I've been observing you and your," he paused to search for the right word, "partner for a while." She stared at him, taken aback. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Itachi Uchiha."

**DUN DUN DUUUUUN! Bet you saw that one coming. Happy Halloween everyone! **


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Sasuke was aware of was the complete lack of sound surrounding him. He was just barely conscious of how unsettling that was as he slowly began to revive. He struggled to open his eyes and finally realized the only source of light came from the crack under the door. He blinked a few times to make sure that his eyes were, in fact, open then quickly sat up.

As soon as he'd done that he knew it was a mistake because he became dizzy and disoriented. After a moment the head rush subsided and he cautiously set his feet on the ground. Sasuke shuffled over to the door and tried to turn the knob only to find it locked. That was when it hit him. He remembered what had happened and became frantic.

He tried the door again then rushed over to the window. He yanked back the dark curtains and was met with a view he never thought he'd see again. He knew at once that he was locked in his old room in the Sound Wave Technologies headquarters.

Quickly Sasuke moved back to the door and began shoving all his weight against it in an attempt to break it open. He ran across the room and threw himself against it but only succeeded in injuring his shoulder.

From outside the room someone began to unlock the door and soon Orochimaru himself walked in. Sasuke backed away, rubbing his sore arm.

"Oh dear, I should warn you that the door is reinforced with steel. Breaking it down is not an option and I am afraid you'll only hurt yourself as you have just learned." He said pleasantly as he flipped the light switch. Sasuke flinched at the brightness

"What the hell did you do to me?" He demanded. "And where is Ino?" Orochimaru frowned.

"I did nothing to you. I simply brought home safely. And as for the girl," he nearly spat the last word, "well we could do nothing for her. Unfortunately she is in police custody."

"You can't keep me here. I have to go help her." Sasuke said angrily.

"There is nothing you can do for her. If you go down there you will be arrested as well and I will not allow that. No, it is much better for you to stay here. Besides I have big plans that you will want to be part of."

"What plans?" He asked suspiciously. Orochimaru smiled broadly.

"In the past few years we have been building up our allies and slowly taking down our enemies. Soon we will gain enough control to wage a war on the rest of the city's underground." He explained giddily. "Then once we control the criminal element we can move on to bigger and better things. Namely the rest of the world." Sasuke frowned at him.

"If you think I'll help you with the insane scheme you are nuts! You in charge of the world is the worst idea ever."

"I'm sure you will come around to my way of thinking, young one. You shall reside here until you do."

Ino stared at the man whom she had heard so much about in the last five years. Sasuke idolized his older brother and was even inspired to leave home like Itachi had. Needless to say he spoke of his brother often and Ino loved the way Sasuke was when he was reliving memories of playing with Itachi. Honestly she had begun to think of the man as a myth. Never once had she considered the possibility of running into him.

But here she was, face to face with the legend and she found herself speechless. Every time she opened her mouth to say something nothing came out and she continued to stare. Itachi was mildly amused by the spectacle.

"So I take it you've heard of me?" He asked politely. She nodded slowly, still unable to form words. "I can only imagine what stories my little brother has told you. I can promise you they are exaggerated."

"Why are you here?" She finally managed to get out.

"Well I heard about what happened and quickly realized who you were. So I got permission to come and drop the charges." He pulled a small mobile phone from the pocket of his formal coat, pressed a few buttons and raised it to his ear. "We are ready." He said quietly then he hung up and replaced the phone in his pocket.

"What's going on? Who was that? Where is Sasuke?" She rambled on perplexedly. Itachi gently took her by the arm and lead her to the front door.

"I'll explain everything back at the house." He said soothingly as he pulled her over to a black town car that was waiting for them in front of the station.

"But why are you helping me? You don't even know me." Ino asked still in a daze.

"Because you are important to my brother." He answered before closing the door behind him.

Tenten turned the heat up in her car as she sat parked across the street from the police station. She had never been a fan of stakeouts, they were much more fun with Neji, but it had been Neji who had asked her to do this. She would do anything for that man, that's what love meant, but in recent months she began to wonder if he would return the favor. He didn't even want to tell his uncle that they were dating.

She had always been attracted to forbidden love ever since she was a child. If someone put something in front of her and told her expressly that she could not have it it became her mission in life to obtain it. But those loves were never real, just a chemical reaction in her brain, a flame that flickered out quickly. What she had with Neji was different.

It was something pure and genuine that made her feel warm and loved. Whenever she was with him she felt the troubles of her world melt away and she was left with joy and happiness. But those feelings didn't last because inevitably they would be separated by his family. She loved him but she was coming upon the time when she would have to choose to stay in a secret relationship that was heading nowhere or break it off and move on with her life.

Across the street the doors to the police station opened and a man in formal attire entered. She made note of this and snapped a few quick pictures with her camera. Around fifteen minutes later the same man appeared again, but this time he had a blonde woman with him. "This is it" she thought as she raised her camera to take more pictures. She wrote down the license plate number on the town car they climbed into before it sped off into the night.

Tenten whipped out her cell phone and hit the speed dial number one. It rang a few times then Neji picked up.

"Hello, what have you got?" He asked from the other end of the line.

"She was picked up by Uchiha about two minutes ago. They drove off in a black town car." She explained.

"Good work." He replied. She smiled to herself.

"How's the party?" She asked wistfully as the smile faded.

"After the minor police interruption it was pretty boring. You can head home now we'll discuss it later."

"I love you." She said quietly. He was silent for a moment and she thought he'd already hung up.

"I love you too." He replied then hung up. She smiled sadly then put her phone down and drove off.

Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall which indicated it was nearly six in the morning. He had been up the whole night and soon the sun would be rising. He couldn't stop thinking about Ino, hoping she was safe, and wishing they had gotten out of the party when he'd wanted to.

There was a knock on the door then Orochimaru entered, followed by a servant with a tray of food.

"I knew that you would be up and thought you would like some breakfast." He said gesturing to the tray that the servant set on the dresser. "Have you given any more thought to my proposal?" He asked once they were alone.

"I'm still not going to help you." Sasuke said angrily. "I _am_ going to get out of here, and I _am_ going to find Ino, even if I have to kill you to do it." He growled. Orochimaru's frowned then he moved back towards the door.

"If that is the way you feel about it then there is only one thing I can do." He opened the door and glanced back at Sasuke. "You needn't worry about the girl any longer. I shall take care of it."

Getting a bad feeling from what he said Sasuke called out for Orochimaru to wait.

"What do you mean?" He asked anxiously. The older man smiled his wicked smile.

"I expect she will make her way here to find you eventually. At that point I am going to kill her." He replied with a small laugh. Sasuke charged at him but was not quick enough as the door slammed shut. He slammed his hand against the door and shouted profanities. "You will be angry for a while but someday you will understand why I must do this." Orochimaru explained through the door.

"If you touch so much as one hair on her head I'll…" He heard the older man's laugh grow quieter as he walked away. "Dammit." He hit the door one last time before turning around and leaning his back against it. "Dammit. I have to get out of here." He said quietly to himself. "There has to be a way." He began searching the room for some possible exit.

"Ino please stay away." He thought worriedly.

The car pulled up to a large mansion surrounded by five foot wrought iron fences. Itachi slipped out the door and reached in to help Ino out as she was still in the floor length dress. He led her up the steps to the front door.

Upon entering she was awed by the grandeur of the home. To her right there was a grand staircase that lead to the second floor. In front of her hung a large glittering gold chandelier that illuminated the entire foyer. The walls were covered by priceless artwork ranging from paintings to photograph and even some carvings.

While she was admiring the view a man appeared on the landing between the first and second floors.

"Hey Itachi, how was the party?" The man asked. Ino looked up and was surprised by the man's appearance. His hair was a shocking shade of blue that matched his eyes as well as his tee shirt. He had a lopsided smile that revealed his unusually sharp looking teeth that reminded Ino of a shark.

"Boring as ever, Kisame. We missed you there. You always make the parties better." Itachi replied. It then that the blue haired man noticed Ino standing beside Itachi.

"Who's your friend, playa?" Kisame asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Ino frowned and glared at the man.

"Had you come to the party you would know. Is the east guest room open?" Itachi inquired.

"Yeah. It was just cleaned too." He replied with a wink at Ino. She continued to glare but said nothing.

"Great, come with me and we can get you something new to wear." Itachi explained leading the way up the stairs. She followed him closely as they moved silently down the seemingly endless halls of the large house. Finally after what seemed like hours of walking they arrived at an ornate door near the end of the hallway. Itachi opened it and stepped aside to Ino could enter.

She was just as amazed by this room as she was by the rest of the house. There was a queen sized bed up against the wall across from the door with a row of six puffy pillows and a beautiful comforter. From where she stood she could see the door to a private bathroom with a walk in shower and a shelf stocked with fluffy white towels. On the other side of the room was a closet full of assorted clothes, most of which appeared to never have been touched.

"This is one of the five guest rooms in the house. Feel free to use the shower and take any of the clothes from the closet. You must be uncomfortable in that dress by now." He said kindly. "When you are ready I will meet you in the dining room, it is the one at the end of the hall on the left side of the entrance, and I'll have some food brought to you. Then we can discuss anything you'd like to know." She nodded distantly as she continued to admire the room.

The next thing she knew the door was closed and she was alone. She walked over to the window and was amazed by the view of the back yard. It stretched on for what seemed like forever. There was an enormous pool shaped like a cloud, and a tennis court equipped with various training machines. Beside it was a batting cage and what looked like a driving range. She began to wonder just what this Red Cloud Organization did that earned them so much money.

Around an hour and a half later she had taken a shower, blow dried her hair and picked out an outfit to wear from the closet. After dressing she began making her way back to the staircase. Along the way she came across an open door.

Inside the décor was dark compared to the walls and floor. The large bed was lined up against the wall to the left of the door and in addition to the closet it had a dresser across from the bed. Normally she would have simply kept walking but something on the dresser caught her eye. She walked over and picked up the small frame. Inside was a picture of Itachi and Sasuke from years ago.

With the sun shining brightly to their right the brothers were standing on a pier smiling brightly holding up the fish they had caught. Itachi looked to be about thirteen years old and Sasuke must have been eight. Ino smiled at the photo, remembering the story Sasuke had told her about theat trip.

Fifteen Years Ago…

Sasuke leaned over the edge of the boat and peered into the murky water. He stared down intensely as they coasted smoothly along the surface of the lake. Itachi sat beside him silently staring out at the horizon.

"What are you doing, boy?" Their father Fugaku asked gruffly. Sasuke looked up at him.

"I'm trying to find the fish." He said excitedly. Fugaku chuckled at his son.

"You won't find them that way. You need some bait and a pole." He explained. Sasuke sat back sadly which cause Itachi to look up with a frown.

"If he wants to look for them that way then he can. It's not hurting anyone." He said defensively. Sasuke smiled at him then leaned over the side of the boat again. Now Fugaku frowned at his older son.

"Don't encourage him. He needs to learn the way the world works, not live in some fantasy land." He said sternly.

"He's eight, Father. He has his whole life to learn about the cold world." Itachi replied. Sasuke watched the two go back and forth like a ping pong match.

"Let's just shut up and fish." Their father huffed. He got out three poles and passed one to each of his sons. He coldly stuck a worm on his hook causing his younger son to flinch.

"Eeeeww! That's so gross!" Sasuke cried.

"Man up, kid. You can't catch a fish without a worm." Fugaku said.

"Can you do it for me, Dad?" He asked holding out his hook.

"No, you have to do it on your own." He replied as he cast out his line. Sasuke looked at the can of worms miserably.

"Let me do it, Sasuke." Itachi said kindly taking his brother's hook. Fugaku slapped the elder boy's hand causing him to drop the hook.

"Don't coddle the boy. He has to grow up."

Itachi glared at his father. Sasuke glanced from his brother to his dad then dropped the pole.

"I don't need it. I'm gonna catch a fish by myself!" He said resolutely. Itachi smiled at his brother but their father scowled.

"You can't do that." He said. "You have to do it like everyone else. With a rod and reel!"

"Do whatever you want, Sasuke." Itachi said supportively. The child grinned then grabbed a cracker. He crumbled it into the water and watched the surface eagerly.

"You aren't going to catch anything like that." Fugaku said sourly. They sat for a half an hour, each facing a different direction. Suddenly Sasuke perked up when he noticed a fish bobbing around his cracker crumbs. He slowly leaned out of the boat until he was close enough to grab at the fish. In doing so he tumbled out of the boat.

"Sasuke!" Itachi shouted. He leaned over the edge searching the water for his brother. After a few moments the young boy appeared with a large catfish in his hands.

"I did it!" He shouted through short gasps of air as he tried to keep afloat using his legs. Itachi smiled and helped the boy and his fish back into the boat. "Look Dad!" he showed his father the fish.

"You scared the fish off is what you did." Fugaku said grumpily. Sasuke turned back to his brother sadly.

"I caught it." He said glumly.

Soon after they returned to the dock and began unloading the boat. Itachi stood beside his brother looking out at the water from the end of the pier.

"Listen Sasuke. There is something you need to know and Dad refuses to tell you." He began. Sasuke looked up at his brother. "You can do anything you want as long as you set your mind to it. Like that fish," He pointed to the fish in his brother's hands, "you just have to stop listening to what other people are telling you is the right way and live the way you want. No one can control you because you are special." Sasuke smiled at his brother. Itachi turned around when he heard someone else approaching. "Excuse me, sir? Would you mind taking our picture?" He asked handing him a Polaroid camera from his bag. "Smile big, Sasuke." He said.

Sasuke held up his fish and smiled brightly as the flash went off.

Present Day…

"What are you doing in here?" Itachi asked gently. Ino set the picture down and turned around.

"Sorry, I was just passing by and I noticed the door was open." She explained, feeling a bit embarrassed for being caught snooping. Itachi looked at the picture.

"Did he tell you about that?" He asked gesturing to the photo. She nodded with a smile.

"He really looked up to you. Still pretty much does." Itachi frowned slightly.

"I'm not a great example anymore." He said. Then he walked over to the door. "Shall we go get some food?" He asked. She took one last glance at the picture then walked out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Sorry for the looooooong wait. Buuuut I'm finished with the semester and have plenty of time to write and post and write and post and so on. Hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it is a bit shorter than some of them. **_

The dining room was just as impressive as the rest of the house. It was a long room with a table running down nearly the entire length and a single table cloth that covered the whole thing. There were elaborate candelabras spread at precise intervals over the surface of the table.

The grandeur of the house was constantly surprising to Ino. Something about it felt off, like the people who lived in it didn't really fit with it. Despite that she was awed as they passed through the room into the kitchen.

In the kitchen there was a smaller table that had eight chairs. The counters wrapped around the far corner of the wall and were topped with dark marble.

Itachi pulled a chair out for her and she sat down.

"Now, what would you like to eat?" He inquired politely.

"I'm not really hungry." She replied.

"You should eat something. And believe me when I say absolutely anything you want we have."

"Surprise me then." She said with a grin.

"All right."

Twenty minutes later they sat at the table silently eating gourmet macaroni and cheese.

"Sasuke says mac and cheese was his favorite food when he was young." Ino mentioned casually. Itachi sighed and set his spoon down.

"I imagine he made me out to be some kind of saint?" He asked.

"He really loves you." She replied feeling defensive of her boyfriend.

"I suppose I should tell you the real story. I was eighteen when my father kicked me out of the house. I was defiant and rebellious. I refused to give in to my father's demands so he told me to get out and not to come back until I could be the son he wanted." He began solemnly. "I didn't want to leave Sasuke there but he was only thirteen and I couldn't take him with me. So I packed my things and told my brother to be strong. I told him not to let our father turn him into something he wasn't. I promised him that someday I would come back for him, but I didn't."

Ino listened intently and hung on his every word.

"So I was out on my own for a week when I met Kisame. We pooled our money and managed to get a shitty apartment. And two years later we were brought into the Red Cloud Organization. I'm not who my little brother believes I am. I had the means to go back for him but I didn't. So I'm trying to make up for that now. And that is why I am helping you." He finished.

"You're not as bad as you think you are. You keep punishing yourself for the past but I can see that you regret it and are trying to make amends." Ino explained. "Now you and I can go save Sasuke from Orochimaru and I know that he'll forgive you."

Itachi frowned.

"We can't confront Orochimaru." He said seriously. "He's much too powerful." Now it was Ino who frowned.

"What do you mean? We can't just leave Sasuke there!"

"Orochimaru has been preparing for something serious. Anyone who has opposed him has been wiped off the earth. No if we do anything it will be tantamount to declaring war. That is something we cannot afford. I'm afraid he will have to wait until things settle down a bit. You are more than welcome to stay in the house until then.

"I can't believe this. You're just going to abandon your brother, _again_?" She shouted.

"No, I'm making a strategic decision to-"

"Save it. You were right about one thing, Sasuke was wrong about you. You're not strong, you're just a coward." Ino stood up and rushed out of the room. Itachi rested his head in his hands and sighed deeply then just sat in silence.

Ino stood by the window in her room watching the moon slowly descend out of the sky. Soon the sun would rise and another day would begin. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table which read 5:30 am. She had gotten maybe an hour or two of sleep and that was just because she had cried herself to sleep. Now she was done crying, she was ready to do something. She grabbed a jacket out of the closet and marched over to the door. She peeked out and slipped silently into the hall. Closing the door behind her she made her way back to the grand staircase.

She heard snoring from some rooms as she passed and something else that she would rather not have heard from another. Letting a shiver of disgust pass she tiptoed down the stairs. She checked the alarm system which seemed to be deactivated for some reason. Suddenly she got the sensation that someone was watching her. Slowly she turned around and saw a man standing ten feet from her. She stifled a scream that would no doubt wake someone up.

The man studied her with his strange green/yellow eyes. His hair which covered much of his face was streaked green and black. He said nothing as he watched her from across the room.

"Can I help you?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

"I don't sleep." He replied emotionlessly. She looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

"The alarm is off. I don't sleep." He said. She understood what he was getting at so she nodded.

"All right. Well I have to go out now. Can you do me a favor and not tell anyone that you saw me?" She asked gently. He didn't respond but she had a feeling he didn't talk much anyways. So she quietly opened the door and slipped out.

Once again Tenten found herself sitting in the car on a stake out. At least this time Neji decided to join her. They alternated between sleeping in shifts, making out and actually watching the house. The radio clock read 5:29 am and she was extremely bored. She glanced over at Neji who was stretched out in the passenger seat with his eyes closed.

"Neji?" She whispered. "Neji, are you awake?"

"What is it, Tenten?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Where do you see us in five years?" She asked. Now he opened his eyes and stared up at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean do you think this relationship is going anywhere?" Tenten said seriously. He pulled his seat back up and stared at her.

"I don't think this is a great time to discuss this." Neji replied. She frowned.

"When would be a better time? When we're on a secret date? Or before you slip quietly out of my apartment and sneak back to yours?" She demanded angrily.

"I understand where you're coming from."

"No! You don't get to be the reasonable one while I'm the hysterical one! I've never been one for ultimatums but I'm starting to think that's what it's come to." She exclaimed. Neji stared at her sadly as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Tenten." He said quietly. She wiped her eyes and nodded towards his window.

"There she is." She said. They both looked out the window and saw the blonde woman as she climbed over the front gate and landed deftly on her feet.

"Tenten…" He began.

"We'll talk later, as usual." She said coldly. Then she put the car in gear and drove down the road.

As soon as her feet hit the ground Ino took off as fast as she could down the road. She finally noticed how far from civilization she was as she ran down the long empty street. Soon she became aware that there was a car driving down the road towards her. Fearing it was Itachi she tried to speed up. But as she went faster so did the car. It came barreling past her and skidded to a stop right in her path.

Someone got out of the passenger side and shouted at her. Ino turned sharply to go around the car and as she got past the bumper a woman appeared on the other side and clothes lined her. She hit the ground and had the wind knocked out of her. When she looked up the woman was standing over her.

"Sorry about that." She said genuinely as she offered her hand. Ino took it and allowed the woman to help her to her feet.

"What's going on? Who are you?" She demanded backing away from the pair.

"Oh calm down, we're not going to hurt you." The Neji said. Tenten frowned at him.

"Like she's going to believe that." She said.

"I don't care what she believes." He responded.

"You don't care about anything do you?" She snapped. Ino's eyes darted back and forth between the couple as they bickered.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but who are you two? And what do you want from me?" Ino asked.

"We are here to give you a warning." Neji said. "You and whoever you're working with have to get out of town, or else." She stared at him silently then laughed a little.

"What, did I encroach on your "turf"?" She chuckled. "That is so cheesy." Neji glowered at her.

"You should take this seriously. The Hyuuga's don't take kindly to unauthorized organizations in their city." Tenten said.

"All right, whatever. I'm just trying to rescue my "partner" and then we will be more than happy to get the hell out of here." She explained.

Neji and Tenten shared a glance.

"Good." He said curtly.

"Actually, do you think you could give me a ride somewhere? It would get us out of the city faster." She asked.

The first rays of sunlight were just barely peeking up over the horizon and changing the sky from a dark navy to a lighter cerulean. Gaara sat silently on a bench in the park staring off into the remaining darkness. He always felt most tranquil in the park. As a child his uncle had taken him here whenever he could. It was a safe place where he could be normal for a while. Now was no different as he breathed in the fresh air.

"Gaara?" He looked up with a smile as Ino approached.

"You remembered." He said evenly. She smiled at him.

"Of course I did. I mean honestly when you told me to meet you here at this time on this day I was a little confused but I guess you just knew I would need your help." She said. He grinned mysteriously. "And I do. Need your help, that is."

"I know." He stood up and motioned for her to follow. "Come on. We'll figure this out." He said soothingly. She nodded.

They arrived back at the house where no one was awake yet.

"So what are we gonna do?" Ino asked around a big yawn.

"You are going to sleep. You'll be no good to anyone if you don't get some rest." He explained before she could protest. "You can sleep in the landlady's room. She's out of town for a while."

"That's kind of weird." She replied as he led her down a different hallway.

"Yes, but I figured it would be less weird than offering you my bed." He replied frankly. They stopped at a door near the end of the hall and he opened it. "Now get some sleep and we will discuss the rescue later when everyone is awake." He explained. She walked in and sat down on the bed.

"Gaara." Ino called before he left. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

He nodded then closed the door and left her to her rest.

_**So that's that, and I expect to see you next time… well maybe not see exactly, I'm not some computer magician who can see into your homes as you read my story… or am I? DUN DUN DUUUUUUN! JK LOL! TTFN**_


	11. Chapter 11

_Sorry for the wait, had a bit of writers block, but here it is. The long anticipated 11__th__ chapter! WHHHHHHOOOOO!_

The sun was hovering above the horizon when Ino woke up. She quickly jumped out of bed, rushed through the door and nearly crashed into Gaara as he was preparing to knock on the door.

"Why did you let me sleep so long? We have to go save Sasuke!" She shouted.

"Calm down. We're going to get him. They're all waiting for you in the attic." He replied. She cocked her head to the side and stared at him.

"This place has an attic?"

Sasuke made his hundredth lap around the room trying to find some way out. No matter what he tried he was unable to escape. As he approached the window he saw that evening was falling and realized that he had been pacing around all day.

"As long as she is in police custody she'll be safe." He explained to himself with a small satisfied smile. A moment later it dropped. "Who am I kidding? She's too smart to still be locked up. She's probably on her way here now."

He kicked the wall out of frustration then sat down on the bed and put his face in his hands. After a few minutes he sat up and accepted his final option. He stood and marched to the door.

"I need to speak with Orochimaru." He called through the door. After a moment of silence he heard the locks clicking open and the guards posted at his door lead him away.

The attic was set up as another living area. There were four couches set up in a square making a sitting area so everyone could see and be seen. Temari sat beside Kankuro on the couch closest to the spiral staircase. Lee and Shino sat beside each of the armrests on the next couch. The third held Kiba, who was stretched out on his back. Ino followed Gaara over to the last sofa and sat beside him.

"I caught everyone up on what happened and they are all willing to help." The redhead explained calmly. Ino nodded in response.

"Truth is we've been looking for a good fight for a while." Kankuro explained with a smirk.

"You're our friend, Ino, and we will help in any way we can." Temari added.

"So, does anyone actually have a plan? Or are we winging it?" Kiba asked as he scratched his chin. They glanced at each other waiting for a response.

"As a matter of fact," Ino began slowly, "I do. You don't happen to have any guns, do you?" She asked. At this Kiba sat up and grinned wickedly.

"Now you're speaking my language, baby."

Sasuke hated how familiar he was with this place. He wished that they had never come here in the first place. As he followed the guard, who wore an expensive looking suit and said nothing, thoughts and memories popped into his head. All about Ino.

His heart ached at the thought of what he was about to do. He would probably never see her again, but at least she would be safe. She could find someone new and start over. This time she could do things right and have the life he was never able to give her.

As they approached the intimidating door to Orochimaru's office he made his final goodbyes to the life he once led and took a deep, calming breath. The guard knocked and opened the door when instructed to enter.

"Sir, he has something he wishes to tell you." The guard said. Orochimaru smiled at his protégé and waved him forward. Sasuke moved towards the desk and stood up straight.

"I want to make a deal with you." He began. Orochimaru nodded for him to continue. "If you promise not to hurt Ino, I will join you willingly."

The older man beamed at the young raven haired man.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that." He replied pleasantly. There was a small beep then shouting through the intercom on his desk. Sasuke stared at the device, puzzled by the commotion on the other end. Orochimaru hit a button and the sound stopped. The silence was overpowering and Sasuke longed to ask what the hell was going on. "However I have other business to attend to at the moment so we will have to finish this later." He nodded to the guards and they began rushing Sasuke from the room.

Moments later Ino and Gaara barged into Orochimaru's office and found the man sitting at his desk with his hands serenely folded in front of him.

"Why Ino, how glad I am to see that you are safe," He said in a pleasant and professional tone. "After the police unexpectedly showed up we had no time to get you out."

"Sure. You never cared about me! You only wanted Sasuke! I was just the incentive to keep your prized protégé around." At this Orochimaru only smiled. "Now I want him back."

"I'm afraid that will be impossible."

In a matter of seconds Gaara saw what was going to happen and he knew what he had to do. As the older man silently moved his hand beneath his desk the young red head produced a small caliber handgun and aimed it directly at Orochimaru.

It took Ino a moment to realize what happened and pull out her own weapon. Orochimaru was no less than stunned by the two guns pointed at him.

"Now how did you get those past the guards?" He inquired in mild amusement.

"Wouldn't you like to know" Ino replied. "What's going on, Gaara?" She asked without turning her attention from the man in front of her.

"Under the desk" He directed. She cautiously moved towards Orochimaru, ordering him to stand up with his hands where she could see them. Keeping one hand aiming the gun at her target she carefully used the other to reach under the desk where she found his pistol latched to the bottom.

"Well this doesn't look like a good way to welcome your guests." Ino said as she removed the weapon from its hiding place. She checked the magazine and found it fully loaded then she causally tossed it to her partner. "There goes your defense." Just then Gaara turned sharply towards the door. Something was wrong out there and he knew it.

"Do you have this under control?" He asked. She nodded then turned back to Orochimaru. The red head darted out the door with both guns held out in front of him, cocked and ready to fire.

"He is quite impressive. Maybe once this is over I will recruit him." Orochimaru said with an evil smile. Ino glared at him and kept her gun leveled at his chest.

"Where is Sasuke?" She growled angrily. He remained silent and she felt her finger tighten on the trigger. Suddenly there were gunshots from the hall and Ino instinctively turned her head. As she was distracted Orochimaru made a grab for the gun. She was just quick enough to keep her hold on the weapon and a struggle ensued.

Had he trained half as much as she had it would have been over the moment he moved for the gun. In the end the gun went flying across the room to land on the opposite side of the desk.

She swung a fist at him and landed a hit on his face. The next one he blocked and used his free hand to shove her back. She managed to grab his jacket and brought her knee up into his gut. He doubled over and she made a break for the gun. At the last second he grabbed her ponytail and dragged her back. Using her hair Orochimaru slammed her into the wall. For a moment she sat there dazed with black spots dancing across her vision. Finally she noticed him moving towards the gun and she launched herself at him.

They both ended up on the ground. Ino was on top scrambling to keep him down and reach the gun which was three feet from her. He swung his arm at her and raked his freshly manicured nails down her cheek, not breaking skin but leaving three angry red marks. She ignored the pain and punched him in the face two more times. Then he used his weight to flip over and pin her to the ground. He wrapped his hands around her throat and cut off her windpipe. She clawed desperately at his arms and tried to wriggle her legs free to kick him. It wasn't long before the black spots returned and began to overtake her sight.

"Let her go, Orochimaru." He looked up angrily at the source of the voice. Just inside the doorway Itachi stood with a gun of his own pointed at Orochimaru's head.

"Now how did you get in here?" He asked slowly releasing his hold on Ino's throat.

"Guards were a bit preoccupied." Itachi replied as the sounds of gunshots continued down the hall. "Now step away please." His words were polite but his tone was icy. The older man raised his hands to the level of his chin and stepped back until he was by the edge of the desk.

On the floor Ino inhaled deeply which was followed by a violent coughing fit.

"Are you all right, Ino?" Itachi asked without taking his eyes off Orochimaru.

"I think so." Her voice came out in a rasp and she continued coughing. Just then Sasuke happened to rush by. He froze mid-step and backed up until he stood in the door. He was so shocked by what he saw that he didn't know where to start. He moved into the room and looked from one person to the next and finally settled on Ino.

When she saw his face her own lit up. It had only been a couple of days but it felt like an eternity to her and she was just happy to see that he was unharmed.

As they were staring at each other lovingly both failed to notice Orochimaru subtly moving towards the younger Uchiha. He grabbed Sasuke and locked his arm around his neck.

"Now do as I say and I won't be forced to kill dear, dear Sasuke." He said with an evil grin. "Itachi would you be a good boy and put down that gun. Don't want to shoot your baby brother by accident, do you?"

Itachi glared at the man but bent down and dropped the gun. This earned him another wicked smile from Orochimaru who had begun moving back towards the wall behind him, dragging Sasuke along with him.

"Now we are going to take our leave, and if you follow us, well bad things will happen." He said maliciously. He stopped by the wall and adjusted his hold on Sasuke so that he could reach for the button hidden behind a picture frame. There was a hiss and a section of the wall lifted revealing a secret passage that lead to his emergency exit.

Ino watched Sasuke helplessly getting dragged backwards, feeling useless to stop it. In a moment he would be gone and there was no telling if she would ever see him again. His eyes captured hers, urgently trying to tell her that he loved her. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and suddenly realized she was not as powerless as she felt. Frantically she glanced to her left and saw what she was looking for.

"Farewell, wish I could say it's been pleasant, but-" Orochimaru was silenced by a gunshot. He stood, eyes frozen open wide. Blood dripped from a small hole in the middle of his forehead and his grip on Sasuke loosened vastly. His arms dropped away from his hostage and he collapsed on the ground.

A shocked Sasuke stared down at the dead man then up at his brother. Itachi looked equally as surprised as he stared back at his brother. Then they both turned to Ino, who was still on the ground. Tears were spilling down her face but her expression was blank. Her arm was still outstretched with the gun pointing at the spot where Orochimaru once stood.

"Ino?" Sasuke spoke quietly and moved towards her cautiously. "Baby?" She made no indication that she heard him. He knelt in front of her and touched her arm gently. "Ino." Her eyes moved to the hand he had placed on her arm. She focused on the warmth and tenderness of his touch and slowly allowed her arm to lower and the gun to drop.

He moved the weapon away and pulled her into his arms. She remained silent for a moment before the emotions overwhelmed her and she began sobbing. He held her tighter and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Shh, it's ok, you're ok." He whispered. "Everything is all right." She had her head pressed against his chest let the smooth, rhythmic beating of his heart calm her down. Once her sobs had slowed she pulled back enough so she could see his face. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"I- I had to." She stuttered glancing over at the body. "H-he was going to…" She stopped and sniffled. He pulled her close again.

"Shh, I know. I know. You did what you had to do." He rocked her gently until she calmed again.

Itachi watched them silently until his phone buzzed. He read the message from Deidara and looked down at his brother.

"You two need to get out of here, now." He said urgently. "The police are on their way." Ino and Sasuke shared a worried look then got to their feet. Itachi picked up his gun and tucked it down the back of his pants. "I'll take care of this, you two go out that way and get somewhere safe."

"What about Gaara and the others?" Ino asked anxiously.

"I'll make sure they get out safely." Itachi replied. He rushed past them and picked up the gun Ino used to shoot Orochimaru. When he glanced back they were halfway to the secret door. "Wait, take this." He said holding out his cell phone. "Speed dial one when you are safe."

"Thank you, Itachi." Sasuke said taking the phone and tucking it into his pocket. The brothers shared a moment then the couple hurried out the secret passage.

They ended up in an alley near the back of the building. The sound of sirens began growing louder as they rushed around the corner and onto the open street behind the building. As they moved silently along the deserted street Sasuke found himself unable to take his eyes off her. Her hair had come loose in the fight and hung around her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, bruises were forming from the fight and it looked like she'd been biting her fingernails. Despite all this she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"I love you." He said quietly. She smiled at him and another tear slid down her cheek.

"I love you too." She replied. They stopped just before a corner and stared lovingly at each other. "I thought I'd never get the chance to say that again." She explained. He embraced her and for a moment thought he would never let go.

"We should keep moving, and when we're safe maybe you can explain how you know my brother, and where you found him." He said as they rounded the corner.

"Hold it right there!" The couple froze in front of the man who had spoken. The first thing Sasuke noticed was the gun pointed at them but that seemed to be the last thing Ino had noticed. She had gone pale and her jaw was nearly touching the ground. Finally she gained enough sense to say one word.

"Dad?"

_Enjoy it? Review it! Love it? Tell me! Hate it? Go to hell! I kid I kid. Cya later suckers! Lol Love Ya'll. _


	12. Chapter 12

Hey sorry for the wait. Been uber busy with school. Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p>The cruiser's siren wailed loudly as it sped down the road with Naruto at the wheel. He bounced slightly and pounded his hands on the steering wheel.<p>

"Gunshots fired! Yes! Finally a shootout with low life gangsters! This is what I signed up for, Sakura!" He cheered. His partner rolled her eyes and shook her head then picked up the radio.

"This is Unit 42 en route to two two four Commerce square, over."

"Copy that, Unit 42, over" The dispatcher replied after a moment.

"Unit 37 also heading over to two two four Commerce square, over" Choji's voice sounded over the air.

"Crap. Shikamaru and Choji are going too? We have to beat them otherwise they'll get all the glory!" Naruto whined. He stepped down on the gas pedal harder and the car zoomed faster down the road.

"We have to get out!" Temari shouted. Kankuro, leaning on Gaara, limped over to her side. "What happened to you?"

"I tripped down the stairs" He replied with a nonchalant shrug. She shook her head the glanced behind him as the rest of the group hurried around the corner.

"How do we get out of here?" Lee asked.

"This way."

Everyone turned around to see the source of the voice. Itachi stood across from them by a door marked "private".

"We haven't got all night" He said impatiently when none of them moved.

"Who are you? And why should we trust you?" Temari demanded.

"Good point, excuse me for wanting to get out of here before the cops show up" He replied. Temari frowned but did not respond. "All you have to know is that I'm a friend of Ino and Sasuke's. They got out already and I'm here to make sure you get out too" Temari still looked skeptical but one glance at her injured brother and the worried faces of her friends told her that they had no other choice.

"Lead the way."

"Dad?" Sasuke repeated. "This is your father?" He studied the man again, this time looking past the gun. Now he noticed the resemblance, the same pale shade of blonde hair, the shape of the eyes and the unique blue color. He looked back at Ino who had the expression of a lost child mixed with a deer in headlights.

"Ino, it's time to come home" Inoichi said calmly. Sasuke unconsciously took a step forward to place himself in between Ino and her father. Ever the cop Inoichi notices the movement and trained his gun on the raven haired man.

"Respectfully sir, she's not going anywhere with you" Sasuke replied.

"So this is the piece of trash that stole my baby" Inoichi spat.

"She left of her own free will."

"I saw the security camera footage, you corrupted her. You turned her against me and took her away."

"No _you_ turned her against you" Sasuke said. Inoichi's face was red with rage.

"I've been waiting for this moment for five years" The older man said. Then he pulled the hammer into place with a menacing click. Sasuke pushed Ino behind him to protect her but she knocked his arm away and put herself directly between the two men.

"Stop it!" She cried. Both pairs of eyes turned to her, one filled with worry the other with anger. She turned to her father sadly. "Dad, I'm sorry I hurt you, but Sasuke's right. You drove me away. I felt I had no other choice because you refused to listen to me."

"That's not true. I heard every word you said, but I had to make the tough decisions as your father. For your own good."

"Locking me in my room was "for my own good"? Putting bars on the windows was "for my own good"? You treated me like a damn china doll! I never had a real life until the day I left. And I am not going back" She said angrily.

"Yes you are. I am your father and you will obey me!" He shouted.

"I'm not a child anymore. I haven't been for a long time" She replied.

"I will drag you back home if I have to. So don't test me young lady."

"If you lay a finger on her I will kill you" Sasuke said threateningly. Inoichi's eyes darted to the young man and narrowed. Ino saw what was about to happen and acted fast. Her father aimed the gun with expertise and quickly pulled the trigger. The bullet left the barrel and headed straight for Sasuke's chest. Ino moved just in time to catch the bullet in the shoulder and save Sasuke's life. The force knocked her to the ground and she grabbed her injured shoulder in pain.

"Ino!" Sasuke shouted and fell to his knees beside her. Inoichi lowered the gun and stared at the scene before him in shock. "Baby, you're ok, you're ok." He glanced over his shoulder at the blonde man and glared angrily.

"Sasuke. We need to go. Now" Ino grunted. He tore his gaze from her father and helped her to her feet. They stumbled away leaving Inoichi staring at the pool of his daughter's blood that had gathered.

"What have I done?" He asked himself once the shock faded. He anxiously stared off into the dark searching for any sign of them. He shook off the fear and tried to reassure himself. "It was a clean shoulder hit, nothing vital. She'll need a hospital and they report gunshot wounds. She'll be fine and I can track her to the hospital" He said calmingly. He put his gun back in the holster on his hip and rushed back to his car.

"Are you kidding me!?" Naruto whined. He stood in the lobby of the Sound Wave Technologies building. It was filled with uniformed officers and crime scene techs who were bustling about collecting evidence. "We got here as fast as we could and we still didn't see any action!" His partner rolled her eyes. "Sakura, I wanted to be in a shootout so badly!"

"I know Naruto. I know" She patted him on the shoulder.

"Sir, we've got three deceased and four injured" One of the officers reported to Shikamaru.

"Man, I hope their all bad guys" Shikamaru said.

"It appears that one of the deceased is Orochimaru" The officer added.

"Really? Man we've been trying to nail him on a lot of nasty stuff. I guess whoever did this deserves a thank you note" He dismissed the officer and turned to his partner. "I guess there's not much else we can do here now. Wanna go get some coffee?"

"Yeah, and donuts" Choji added.

"Can you be any more stereotypical, buddy?"

Choji shook his head with a grin. The four detectives walked out towards the street where their cars were parked. Waiting by the cruiser was someone Shikamaru hadn't seen for a long time.

"Mr. Yamanaka?" He asked.

"Evening, Detective Nara" Inoichi replied pleasantly.

"What are you doing here? At a crime scene? In Crimson City? In the middle of the night?" The younger man asked.

"Just taking a stroll. I saw the update you added to Ino's file so I decided to pay a visit to your fair city."

"I thought you retired from police work" Shikamaru frowned.

"True, I was forcibly retired by the Chief, but I retained my access to the database and I check her file daily" He explained.

"So how can I help you?" He asked. Inoichi smiled.

"I was hoping you'd let me peruse your hospital records for recent GSW's."

"How recent?"

"So you're Sasuke's older brother? And you helped get Ino out of police custody, and us get out of Sound Wave. And you work for Red Cloud?" Temari repeated.

"Yes. That is all true" Itachi said. He was sitting in a large armchair in the living room of the house. Kiba was passed out on the window seat, Shino was silently seated on the couch next to Temari, Lee was sitting cross legged on the floor and Kankuro was lying on the other couch while Gaara wrapped his twisted ankle with medical wrap.

Suddenly Lee burst out in tears causing everyone to stare.

"What's wrong with him?" Itachi asked. In response Temari simply shrugged.

"You are such an amazing brother!" Lee sobbed. "I wish you were my big brother too!"

Before he could figure out how to reply Itachi's phone rang. He saw the caller ID and jumped up.

"Excuse me for a moment" He said politely then slipped into the hall. "Sasuke? Are you two all right?" He said into the phone.

"Yeah, we, we're ok. Or we will be. Got a car and we're driving to some friends of ours a few hours away" Sasuke replied breathlessly.

"Are you sure you're ok? You sound upset" The older Uchiha asked.

"Uh, Ino's hurt. But she's going to be ok" He paused and Itachi could faintly hear Ino speaking. "Yeah, I'll ask. She wants to know if you got everyone out."

"Yeah, they're all home safe and sound."

"Good. Thank you for everything you've done for us, Itachi."

"That's what brothers do for each other. Now get somewhere safe and I'll call you when it's ok to return."

"All right. Goodbye" Sasuke said. There was a click as the call was disconnected then Itachi put his phone away. He walked back into the living room.

"They're safe. So with that, thank you for your hospitality and if you need any help in the future here is my card" He handed the card to Temari.

"Thank you for helping us. We owe you big time" She replied. Itachi waved her off.

"No you don't, my little brother does" Itachi said with a grin.

"Sasuke, you're speeding" Ino said. She sat in the passenger seat holding a bloody towel against her wound. Sasuke didn't respond and the car didn't slow. "You need to slow down, we can't get pulled over" He still didn't slow down. "Sasuke!" She shouted. He glanced over at her then took his foot off the gas pedal allowing the car to slow to a legal speed.

Silence once again fell in the car as they rolled down the road. She knew why he was acting like this, she would feel the same if their positions were switched.

"Stop blaming yourself" She said.

"I have every right to blame myself. It's my fault" He replied stiffly.

"No it isn't. You didn't push me in front of the bullet."

"No but I'm the reason you stepped in the line of fire."

She frowned and stared at him, his face illuminated by the light of the dashboard, highlighting his brooding brow and grimace.

"You can't always protect me" She explained calmly.

"I know. And that pisses me off" He answered. She chuckled then winced at the spike of pain from moving her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

Once the adrenaline wore off she felt the fatigue of blood loss and rested her head against the window and drifted off. As she was fading she thought about where they were going and who they were going to see…

Five Years Ago…

The sun shone brightly as Sasuke and Ino strolled down the sidewalk. They had been in the city for a week picking pockets and squatting in abandoned apartments to get by. And they couldn't have been happier.

"It's so nice out! I can't remember a more beautiful day in my entire life!" Ino said with a happy twirl.

"I know. Finally we're out of the shadows of our fathers. It's nice to see the sun again" Sasuke replied. Ino grabbed his hand and smiled at him.

"So you think we'll find your brother here?" She asked.

"This is as good a place as any to start searching" He said. They continued down the street until they saw a tall dark haired woman on a cell phone. "There's a good mark."

They changed course so Sasuke was able to bump into her.

"I'm sorry" He said genuinely. The woman nodded and they kept moving. As the young couple walked away they didn't notice the woman had stopped and was watching them leave.

As they rounded the corner Sasuke took the wallet he'd snatched from the woman out of his pocket and smiled at Ino.

"What a nice woman. She just bought us dinner" Ino giggled. Sasuke grinned and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Let's treat ourselves tonight. How about sushi?" They laughed happily and continued walking.

"Hold it right there you two!" A cop called from ahead of them. They froze and stared at him as he approached them. "Empty your pockets" He barked.

"We haven't done anything wrong, Officer" Ino said sweetly with her best smile.

"I said empty your pockets."

The smile dropped from her face as Sasuke held out the only thing he had in his pocket, the wallet they just snatched. The cop took it from him and opened it.

"Well this doesn't look like you young man" He said holding the ID that was inside the wallet. Sasuke glared at the officer. Before he could say anything or do something stupid someone else began speaking.

"There you two are!" All three of them turned to see the dark haired woman walking towards them looking relieved. "I sent you out for milk an hour ago! I thought you'd been mugged!" She exclaimed.

"Excuse me Ma'am, do you know these two?" The officer asked.

"Of course I do. That is my cousin and his girlfriend. And that is my wallet, which I gave them so they could buy some milk" She explained coolly. She grabbed the ID from his hand and pointed to her picture. "See? Kurenai Yuhi. That's me." She smiled dazzlingly. The cop looked like he was going to say something else but he swallowed it and smiled politely.

"Have a nice day" He said calmly. Sasuke and Ino stared at the woman in absolute confusion.

"What was that?" Sasuke demanded.

"Hey, show me some respect kid. I just saved your asses" Kurenai snapped.

"Thank you" Ino said. "But we just stole your wallet and you could have turned us in. Why didn't you?"The woman smiled.

"Because you remind me of someone" She said.

"Who?" Sasuke asked.

"Me."

Kurenai brought the couple back to her house and made them both sandwiches.

"I used to be just like you two. My husband and I would pick pockets, snatch purses, pull scams the whole deal" She explained.

"Used to?" Sasuke asked. "What happened?"

"We grew up. Got married, got jobs, that stuff is best left to the young people." She sat down across from them at the table. "How long you been doing this?" She inquired.

"About a week" Ino replied.

"It shows" Kurenai said.

"Are we that bad?" Ino asked. Kurenai shook her head.

"No, you've got some skill but you just need to polish it" She said. Just then the front door opened and a tall man with a beard and a cloud of smoke around him entered the house.

"Hey, are these the whippersnappers you were telling me about, honey?" He asked with a grin.

"Asuma this is Sasuke and Ino. They're the ones who picked my pocket today" She said.

"You two must be lucky cause you picked the right pocket today" Asuma said with a wink.

"So, you're going to help us?" Ino asked. The older couple smiled at each other before responding.

"Yeah, we'll teach you everything we know" Kurenai said.

"I've always wanted an apprentice!" Asuma exclaimed. The younger couple stared at each other happily.

Present Day…

Sasuke pulled the car into the driveway and parked it. He looked over at Ino, who was still sleeping, and gently touched her cheek causing her to stir and moan.

"Hey baby, we're here." He got out of the car and hurried around to her side. "Come on" he said as he opened the door.

"Babe, I'm so tired" she replied drowsily.

"I know, but you gotta get up and come inside with me." He helped her up and supported her as they walked to the front door. He shifted so he could reach up and bang the knocker three times. "Hang in there Ino" He whispered. There was noise from inside then the porch light went on and the door opened to reveal Kurenai in her bathrobe squinting at them.

"Sasuke? Ino? What's going on?" She asked, and then she noticed the blood.

"We need your help again."

* * *

><p>Hope you liked it. I want to update faster but school is getting intense. I'll try though. Love ya'll.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

_Soooooo… maybe no one will notice how long it has been since I posted a chapter… probably not.. Super sorry, lot's of shtuff has happened and I won't bore you with the gory details. Just enjoy this here chapter. _

"We need your help again" Sasuke said. Ino smiled weakly while hanging on Sasuke's arm.

"What in the hell have you two gotten yourselves into?" Kurenai asked in horror. She moved aside and ushered them into the house.

"Kurenai? What's going on?" Asuma asked as he appeared in the doorway to the living room. He noticed the young couple and was suddenly awake and alert.

"Honey, get some towels and the first aid kit, would you?" Kurenai asked while she began examining Ino's bloody arm. "You kids wanna tell me what's going on?" She looked up from the wound to study their faces.

"It's a long story" Sasuke explained.

"You're in luck, because I love long stories" Kurenai said, completely serious.

Neji rolled over and smiled over the pillow. Tenten grinned back, her long brown hair a mess around her face. He reached over to brush a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"Hey beautiful" he said amorously. He leaned over and kissed her gently. She sighed and snuggled closer to him.

"I'm glad you decided to stay last night" she said.

"Yeah, me too" he chuckled. He squeezed her lovingly and glanced at the clock behind her head. "Damn, it's already four. I have to get back." He released her and began climbing out of the bed. She frowned as her gathered his clothes and started to dress.

"Seriously? You're just going to leave?" She demanded angrily. He paused for a minute and glanced at her. "I understood the first time it happened. I tolerated it the other times, but I'm done now. Something has to change if you want to keep me in your life."

He finished buckling his belt and sat down on the bed beside her.

"I do this because I want to keep you in my life. You know that if anyone from the company found out about us-"

"Don't give me that crap!" She interrupted. "At some point you have to stop being afraid of what your uncle will think and just take a chance on us." He remained silent for a moment then she continued. "And I am at the point where I can't put my feelings on hold any longer. You have to choose between me and your family." She climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

"Tenten!" Neji called. She put a hand up and closed the door behind her.

"For the last time, I cannot allow a civilian access to a police database" Shikamaru said in utter exasperation. Inoichi rested on the corner of the desk and stared at Shikamaru.

"And I will say again that I am not a civilian." Inoichi replied.

"You're not a cop anymore…" Inoichi glared at the younger man, "… Sir. Look, if I did this I could lose my job. Why don't you tell me what you're looking for and I'll look it up myself."

"I'm looking for my daughter" Inoichi replied.

"I know that, but what are you looking on the hospital database?" Shikamaru asked. Inoichi stared silently at Shikamaru until he got it. "What did you do?" Shikamaru grabbed the mouse and began clicking. Once the search window popped up he typed in the search parameters and waited for the results.

"I did what I had to do" Inoichi replied as he moved his hand to rest on the firearm holstered on his hip. Shikamaru looked up at him with a frown.

"You shot her!?" He exclaimed.

"It was a clean hit, nowhere near anything vital" Inoichi replied with frightening calm.

"How can you be so calm right now!? You shot your only daughter! I should arrest you for that." Inoichi chuckled.

"I'd love to see how that would go. I am a decorated detective who has solved more cases than anyone else in the department" Inoichi explained.

"You are a retired detective who shot a civilian" Shikamaru shot back with a grimace. He looked back at the screen and read the results of the search. "Dammit, nothing. Only four GSW's reported, all men" Inoichi frowned and leaned over the younger detective's shoulder.

"What the hell is that girl doing?" Inoichi growled.

"She must have access to medical assistance outside of the system. She knows that GSW's are reported to the police" Shikamaru said with a small grin. "She's a smart girl."

"ARRRGHH, SONOFABABYGOPHER!" Ino shouted as Kurenai poured antiseptic on her wound. The liquid ran down her chest in a red stream staining her white bra with more blood. She was seated on top of the kitchen table. Sasuke was at her side holding her hand and rubbing her back soothingly. "God damn that hurts!"

"That's what happens when you take a slug to the chest" Asuma chuckled. Kurenai stood in front of the table studying Ino's wound.

"The bullet is still in there" she said. She stepped away from Ino and frowned. "You're not gonna like it, but I have to dig it out."

"Well that's just great" Ino said. Asuma turned to the cabinet behind him and grabbed out a bottle of vodka and handed it to Ino.

"You're gonna need this" he said with a grin. Ino grimaced and opened the bottle then took a long swig.

"Eck, that stuff does not get any better" she said. "All right, let's get this over with." Sasuke squeezed her hand reassuringly as they watched Kurenai sterilize a pair of tweezers. When she finished she walked over and placed a hand on Ino's shoulder and examined the bullet hole.

"I'm really sorry about this, kid" She said as she lifted the tweezers to the hole. She pushed the tweezers in and began digging around for the bullet.

"Oh my f-, god damn! Make it stop!" Ino screamed and squeezed Sasuke's hand as tight as she could. Sasuke winced but stayed quiet and tried to squeeze back. "Why aren't you done yet!?"

"Almost got it." Kurenai bit her lip to keep focus and finally caught the bullet and yanked it out. "There, all done. Don't be such a baby."

"You- you are such a bitch" Ino panted then took another swig of the vodka. Kurenai smiled at her and dropped the .45 slug into a bowl. Sasuke sat on the table beside her and she collapsed into his arms. As they were all silent something in the other room began to make noise.

"Hiroshi's up. Asuma would you get him?" Kurenai asked as she went to the sink to wash her hands. Asuma left the room for a minute then returned with a black haired toddler in his arms.

"He's grown so much since we last saw him" Sasuke remarked. Ino lifted her head drowsily and smiled at the baby.

"He's so beautiful" she remarked. Asuma bounced the boy making him giggle. "Looks just like you."

"Why thank you" Asuma said with a grin. He walked over and set Hiroshi in his highchair.

"Asuma, can you pull out the couch for them to sleep on?" Kurenai asked as she pulled out the bandages from the first aid kit.

"Yes, sweetness." He walked off into the other room.

"All right, sit up, sweetie. Gotta wrap that thing to keep it from getting infected." Ino groaned and sat back up then took another swig of vodka. Kurenai cleaned the area and bandaged the wound. "All right. You are good to go" she said as she handed her a nightgown to wear.

"Thank you" Ino replied. She climbed off the table, wobbled a bit then stumbled to the bathroom.

"So her father really shot her?" Kurenai asked. Sasuke sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.

"This week has been so screwed up. I'm starting to wonder what really happened" Sasuke said. He got up off the table and paced around the kitchen. "How can I keep her safe like this?" Kurenai looked from the young man to her young son.

"Maybe it's time you two got out of the game. Did you ever think about settling down now that all the drama is out of the way?"

"I wouldn't even know how to do that. This is the only life we've known for the longest time."

"Everyone has to start sometime. I know you two can make it. After everything you've been through you can take on the world" Kurenai said confidently.

"It feels like we already have" he replied. Ino sauntered back into the room wearing the blue nightgown.

"Did I… miss something?" She drawled. Her words were slightly slurred from the alcohol. Sasuke smiled at her as she leaned on him weakly. "Man, I can't remember… being this… tired." She rubbed her face on Sasuke's arm then yawned.

"Your bed is ready. If you'll follow me, please" Asuma said when he peeked his head into the room.

"C'mon, babe, this way" Sasuke said while gently guiding Ino to the living room.

Neji sat on his cousin's couch sipping a cup of coffee. Hinata sat on a chair next to him, gently stirring her own coffee.

"S-so what did you want t-to talk about, Neji?" She asked.

"I know this is going to sound juvenile but, can you keep a secret?" He began.

"O-of course."

"Well, for the past couple years I have been, uh, seeing Tenten" he explained. Hinata smiled brightly at her cousin.

"Th-that's wonderful" she replied. Neji smiled faintly at a memory then frowned.

"I wish. If your father knew he would never allow it. She would probably lose her job and I would be sent to some kind of business reform camp, and despite all that she wants to stop keeping it a secret." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and looked at his cousin. "What we have is good, but only if we keep it a secret. Things will go to hell if we tell anyone. I don't get why she's mad at me for not wanting to change."

Hinata giggle at her cousin, who turned red and glared at her.

"I don't even know why I told you" He snarled. Hinata's smile faltered as she responded.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't l-laughing at you. I-it's just, you can't s-seem to see why she doesn't w-want to be kept a s-secret." Her words were met with an annoyed stare. So she went on. "She loves you, Neji, a-and she thinks you've chosen t-this place over her."

"But that isn't even remotely true" Neji responded. "I love her and I want to be with her always, but I can't go against Hiashi. He pretty much owns the city."

"The choice is y-yours to make, Neji. All I c-can say is don't make it with s-solely your head" she explained wisely. Neji nodded thoughtfully. "N-now, may I tell you a s-secret of m-my own?"

"It's only fair" he replied.

"I d-don't want to work for F-Father anymore" she said. Neji grinned at his cousin.

"It's about time you realized that" he said. She looked at him quizzically. "He treats you like a secretary and we all know that, despite the fact that you are his oldest child, he is going to choose Hanabi to take over the company when he retires. You're not ruthless enough for this world, Hinata." She looked down at the floor in shame. "What do you really want to do?"

"You'll l-laugh at m-me."

"I promise I won't."

"I w-want to be a p-p-police officer" she said with her eyes glued to the floor.

"You would make a good cop" Neji said seriously. "All you have to do is quit."

"I don't know h-how to t-tell him that I quit" she said sadly.

"Well I guess you and I have to find our courage" he said. The clinked mugs and took a sip of hot coffee. "This is good coffee."

Itachi stepped inside the mansion and shut the door behind him as silently as he could.

"Where've you been, Itachi?" Kisame asked with a grin that revealed his shark like teeth. Itachi glared at the other man and just walked past him without responding. "Booty call?"

"Shut up, Kisame" Itachi called back from the top of the stairs.

"Does she have a friend?"

Itachi shut his bedroom door and glanced at the photo on his dresser. He smiled at his younger brother grinning up from the picture.

"I promised that I would always protect you, Sasuke. Now I've kept that promise." Itachi sets the picture down again and walks away.

_Again, sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoyed this!_


	14. Chapter 14

_I'm back beoytchs! Sooo sorry for the wait but I just got so sad thinking how this story was almost over and I went through the stages of grief. I denied it, I got angry, I bargained for its life, I got depressed, and now I have finally accepted it… GOD DAMMIT MOTHER F*#&$%R NOOOOOOO! AHHHHHH!... well sort of._

_Anywho… enjoy this chapter!_

Hiashi Hyuuga was a very busy man. After all it takes nonstop work and attention to keep an international corporation running smoothly, not to mention the lucrative criminal side business. He sighed heavily and continued with the pile of paperwork on his desk. There was a knock on the door. "Enter" he called without as much as an upward glance.

Neji entered the room and stood firmly in front of the desk. Hiashi looked up at him then continued writing.

"What do you want?" he asked impatiently. Neji frowned at his uncle's rudeness and waited for the older man to look at him again. "May I help you, Neji?"

"I have something I must discuss with you, Uncle" he said seriously. Hiashi set his pen down and folded his hands in front of him.

"Speak freely, Nephew."

"I know the company policy on inter-office dating but the truth is that Tenten and I have been seeing each other for some time now and I am done hiding our relationship. We've kept it a secret from everyone for so long out of fear" Neji explained.

Hiashi listened silently until Neji had finished then smiled. "Is that all?" he laughed. Neji was taken aback at his nonchalance.

"You're not angry?" he inquired.

"Of course not, when I was your age I had my share of affairs. You're fine, just as long as you know it cannot continue" Hiashi said.

"I have no intention of breaking up with her" Neji said seriously brining a frown to his uncle's face.

"Then that is an easy fix. Next time you see her tell her she's fired and must vacate the company apartment in five days" Hiashi said calmly then returned to his paperwork. Neji glared at his uncle and balled his fists.

"If she's fired then I quit" Neji said definitely. Hiashi glared up at the younger man. Neji met his gaze confidently. "I love her and I'm not afraid of it anymore, and I'm not afraid of you" After a few heavy, silent moments the young Hyuuga turned and walked back to the door.

"Fine! Go you ungrateful little bastard! You'll never make it in my city alone! Enjoy life on the streets with your precious whore!" Hiashi shouted, his face growing red. Neji clenched his fist one more time then grinned.

"You're pathetic, Uncle. Have a nice life." He opened the door and stepped out. On his way he passed Hinata. He gave her a smile and patted her shoulder. She walked into her father's office and shut the door silently.

"F-father?" she said quietly. Hiashi was fuming in his chair and glared at Hinata as she approached the desk.

"I'm in no mood now. Leave and shut the door behind you!" he said angrily.

"N-no" she replied. His eyes widened and he stared at his daughter.

"What did you say to me?" Hiashi asked.

"I s-said no, Father. I h-have something to say and I'm g-going to say it!" Hiashi sat back and took a deep breath. "I've worked hard for you for ye-years and you have never respected me! Ever s-since I was a child I did every little thing you asked of me yet you deny me even the s-smallest hint of pride or love. I mean nothing to you! Nothing I do will ever be enough for you. So I'm done. I'm leaving the company and enrolling in the police academy!" She exclaimed.

Hiashi fumed silently behind his desk as Hinata strode proudly out of the room. She closed the door firmly behind her and grinned brightly at Neji who stood in the hallway holding Tenten's hand. Together and with their heads held high the three walked away.

Yes, Hiashi Hyuuga was going to be a very busy man.

Kurenai yawned and sleepily scrambled eggs in a bowl. As she was pouring them into the pan Ino groaned behind her. "Good morning" she said over her shoulder.

"Ah, I need coffee, and aspirin uh and for someone to hit me over the head with a bat" Ino moaned.

"Sleep well?" Kurenai asked cheerily.

"Yeah, well, until this shooting pain in my arm woke me up" she explained grumpily. Kurenai stirred and scraped the eggs then turned to face Ino.

"You need to keep your arm still while it's healing. I sent Asuma out to run some errands." Outside a car door slams and Kurenai grins. "That'll be him now" she said, setting the spatula down. Moments later Asuma walks in carrying a bag.

"I smell bacon!" he exclaimed happily before planting a kiss on his wife's lips. "I wiped down the car and dumped it for you guys."

"Did you get what I asked for?" she inquired. He smiled and pulled a sling out of the bag. "Thanks, dear. Ino you should wear this for a couple weeks while your shoulder is healing" Kurenai explained. Ino sighed deeply but allowed her friend to put the sling on her.

"Ino, are you all right?" Sasuke asked sleepily from the doorway. She looked at him and flapped her incapacitated arm.

"I have to be half chicken for a while, but other than that I'm just dandy!" she said with a smile. Then she dashed over and kissed his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I'll take a half chicken over half dead any day" he whispered into her hair. She snuggled into his embrace and sighed happily. They stood there for a while until Kurenai cleared her throat.

"Breakfast is ready" she said.

"What in the flaming hell happened last night?!" Tsunade shouted. Her best detectives were gathered in front of her. Sakura shifted uncomfortably while next to her Naruto had his arms crossed and was looking away. Shikamaru leaned lazily on the wall, Choji nervously munched on a bag of chip and Kakashi and Anko yawned sleepily. The chief glared at all of the faces before her. "I go off duty for one night and things go to shit!"

"Ch-chief-" Sakura began but was cut off by Tsunade's raised hand.

"We have five bodies, including one of the most notorious business men in all of the country, no leads and no suspects! Even our witnesses are not cooperating!" A vein in her temple began throbbing as she spoke. "So will someone like to try and explain any of this?"

"I believe it was all gang related" Shikamaru spoke up and all eyes turned to him. "It was well known that Sound Wave Technologies was a cover for Orochimaru's criminal organization. My best guess is that one of his rivals finally caught up to him."

"And the blood that was found at the scene, has that been run through the lab yet?" she asked.

"It appears all of it belonged to the victims" Kakashi answered smoothly.

"How about the shell casing? Any matches?" Tsunade pressed.

"Black market weapons and they were all wiped and left at the scene. No way to tell who they belonged to" Shikamaru answered.

"Very well, in light of the lack of evidence in this case I have to insist that you all focus on cases that we can solve. We'll leave it open but we're moving on" Tsunade explained. "Dismissed!"

The six detectives dispersed all heading in different directions. Shikamaru wandered back to his desk and sat down. He looked at the computer screen then pulled up Ino's file. He stared at it for a few minutes then clicked 'delete' and the file disappeared.

Itachi rolled over in his bed and grabbed the ringing phone off the nightstand. "Hello?" he said groggily.

"Itachi." He jumped up at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Sasuke, are you all right?" he asked, voice full of concern. On the other end Sasuke chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm fine, we both are" the younger Uchiha answered. "Thanks to you." Itachi sighed and leaned back against the pillows.

"No problem, little brother" Itachi replied. "So what can I help you with?"

"I assume you have some kind of line to the police?" he began. "So have you heard anything about last night?"

"Yeah, they're putting the case on the backburner. Something about a lack of evidence" Itachi said with more than a hint of smugness in his voice. Sasuke chuckled again.

"Thanks for that too. Do you think it's safe for us to come back then?" he asked.

"I don't see any issues with that. Just be cautious."

"Always am. I guess I'll see you around then" Sasuke said.

"Yeah" Itachi replied. "Bye Sasuke."

"Bye Itachi."

Sasuke disconnected the call and walked back into the kitchen. Ino smiled up at him and waved with the fork in her good hand.

"What did he say?" she inquired.

"We're good to go" he replied. Ino smiled wider.

"Good, 'cause I have some unfinished business in the city."

Shikamaru took the lull in cases as a chance to catch up on the sleep he'd lost the night before. He snored lightly leaning back in his chair with his feat up on the desk. He was aware of a commotion from the front of the station but did not fully awake until her felt his feet slammed off their resting spot. He opened his eyes to see a fuming Inoichi Yamanaka.

"What the hell did you do?" the man growled. Shikamaru yawned and stretched before answering.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he replied coolly. Inoichi's face grew redder.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Ino's file! You deleted it!"

"Yes, I did" said the young detective.

"Why the hell did you do a stupid thing like that?!" Inoichi shouted.

"Because she's not a missing child anymore. She's a grown woman fully capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions" he explained. "It's time that you accept this and maybe she'll want to see you again someday." The two men glared at each other silently for a few moments while Inoichi scrambled for a response.

"Who the hell do you think you are? This is none of your business, she is my daughter!" Inoichi cried. A crowd had gathered around them and various cops were watching the interaction intently.

"Yeah, and she is my best friend. You're the reason she left in the first place" Shikamaru said. Inoichi balled up his fist and took a swing at Shikamaru's head. He dodged and grabbed the older man's arm and shoved him against the wall. "You're under arrest for assaulting an officer. Can I get some cuffs over here?"

"Stop!" All heads turned to the new people in the room, specifically to the young woman who called out. Shikamaru's eyes widened as the girl approached him.

"Ino? What are you doing here?" he asked. She watched him grimly as he held her father against the wall. Inoichi struggled to see his daughter.

"Shika let him go. Please" she said softly. He studied her blue eyes for a moment then gave a slight nod. He released the man and Inoichi just gaped at his daughter. His eyes dropped to the sling and he felt shame.

"Ino, baby, I'm so sorry" he said earnestly. She watched him sadly then nodded.

"I know you never meant to hurt me, Daddy" she replied. Inoichi smiled but she did not return it. "But you did, in so many ways. You didn't trust me and that's what hurt the most. I'm not sorry that I left but I am sorry that it caused you so much pain. That it caused both of you so much pain" she said looking over at Shikamaru.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry; I chased you away just like I chased your mom away. I never wanted to let you get hurt and I guess I took it too far. But you've grown into a beautiful, strong, young woman and I'm very proud of you" he said.

"Thank you, Dad. I know that was hard for you to admit. I want you to know that I still love you, but I have no intention of going home." Inoichi flinched but did not speak. His eyes drifted over to Sasuke, who stood stiff and silent at Ino's side. "If you can show that you truly trust me I promise to come and visit as often as I can."

He glanced at her arm in the sling again and he sighed. "I promise I will do all I can to prove that I deserve this second chance. You're my daughter and I love you unconditionally." Now she smiled at him and gave him a one armed hug. He held her tight and cherished her presence.

"Just so you know, Dad, Sasuke and I are a package deal. You can't have me back if you don't accept Sasuke" she informed him. He grunted and glared at the Uchiha but assented. She smiled brightly at him then leaned around to look at Shikamaru. "Now, Detective Nara, is he still under arrest?"

Shikamaru froze from being put on the spot but slowly broke down and chuckled. "No, I guess not. The paperwork is far to troublesome" he replied. She grinned then threw her arm around him.

"Thank you, Shika" she whispered. He smiled and hugged her back.

_*sob* I hope you *sob* enjoyed *sob* this amazing story! *cries uncontrollably*…. Wait, it's not over yet? Hell yeah! Stick around my friends!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Final chapters are such sweet sorrow! I shall never forget you all and the journey we took together here!_

Sasuke and Ino stepped outside the police department and paused. They looked at each other silently for a few moments then smiled.

"We're free" he said with a sigh. "I can't believe we're actually safe." She reached up and stroked his cheek.

"Of course we are. I told you we'd make it, didn't I?" she replied.

"Yes you did."

"Maybe someday you'll learn that I'm always right" she said with a grin. In answer he threw his arms around her and held her tight.

"I love you so much" he whispered, and she snuggled closer.

"So what should we do now?" she asked after they broke apart. He took her hand and they began strolling down the street.

"I don't know. We can go anywhere, do anything. I mean, no one is looking for us anymore, the whole world is open to us now." He scratched his head with his free hand. "Or we could just settle down somewhere. Get real jobs and maybe even buy a house." She looked up at him.

"Yeah, that would be the sensible thing to do" she replied. They smiled at each other and continued down the street.

Temari stood at the bottom of the spiral staircase that led to the attic of the boarding house. She was staring up towards the top when Kankuro hobbled over leaning on a crutch.

"Is he still up there?" he asked glancing up the stairs. She looked over at her brother with concern on her features.

"He's been up there since Itachi left" she said. "I'm starting to worry." Kankuro patted her on the shoulder and she glared at him. "Aren't you the least bit concerned about what he's doing up there?" she demanded.

"He's probably just worried about his new friend. He'll come down when he's ready… or hungry" he replied. He limped away leaving his sister to ponder their younger brother.

With one last look to the attic she sighed deeply and followed Kankuro. As she was descending the stairs there was a knock on the door. She hurried down the last of the steps and pulled the door open.

"Hey Temari" Ino greeted with a smile. Sasuke stood beside her and gave a small wave. Temari stood in shock for a few moments then smiled.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked stepping aside and ushering them in.

"We were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop by" Ino answered. "And maybe hoping we could crash here for a while?" Temari opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Gaara who had appeared on the stairs.

"I've spoken with the landlady. She's willing to rent you the extra room" he explained.

"What? What extra room?" Temari asked.

"The attic" he replied coolly. She opened her mouth as if to speak then shut it and nodded.

"So that's what you've been doing up there all night." She turned to the couple and smiled. "Welcome to the gang."

The End

_I hope you looooved this story. If you want more I have sooo many more ideas as well as a bunch of older stories which I am revising now! See you at the sequel beotches!_

_Love lots_

_The Monkey!_


End file.
